“This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short” (1 Corinthians 7:29 ESV).
Writing to the believers in Corinth, Paul urged them to live with an eternal perspective. When he wrote that “the appointed time has grown very short,” he was not necessarily predicting that only a few years remained before Christ’s return. Significantly, Paul used the Greek word kairos rather than chronos. Chronos refers more generally to chronological time, the passing of days, months, and years. Kairos refers to an appointed, decisive, or significant season. Paul’s point, then, was not primarily that the clock was running out, but that God’s redemptive plan had entered its decisive final stage through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Because Christ had risen, the future kingdom had already come into view. Therefore, believers were to live in the present according to the realities of the future. Paul later explained, “For the present form of this world is passing away” (1 Corinthians 7:31).
This did not mean that marriage, work, possessions, grief, or enjoyment were unimportant. Paul was not telling believers to withdraw from life. He was teaching them not to treat temporary things as ultimate things. The present arrangement of this world would not last forever.
Paul’s purpose was not primarily to tell the Corinthians when Christ would return. It was to teach them how to live because Christ would return.
We can easily become so invested in this present world that we forget it is passing away. This does not mean we should love people less or neglect our responsibilities. It means we should hold temporary things loosely while holding Christ firmly. As John wrote, “the world is passing away” (1 John 2:17).
Let us live now in light of what will still matter then. Let us forgive quickly, love deeply, serve faithfully, give generously, and share the gospel urgently. Let us live like Christ might return today.
PRAYER: Dear Father, help us remember that this present world is passing away. Teach us to hold temporary things loosely and eternal things tightly. Keep our hearts ready and our lives faithful as we await the return of Your Son. In Jesus’ name, amen.