Terminology Tuesday: Time, Timelessness

Time, Timelessness: Time refers to the relation of events within creation to each other. Generally events are viewed as forming a linear succession, leading to the idea of the “time line.” But the succession of events might also by cyclical, resulting in time as a circle. The Bible presents time as a divinely created reality in which God historically works out the divine plan of salvation. Thus time begins “in the beginning” and moves linearly toward a future goal. Philosophers and theologians have debated how time and eternity are related, as well as the nature of the connection between God and time. Some thinkers assert that time and eternity are totally distinct, while others collapse them, in part as a reaction against viewing time itself being an entity. Theologians who assert that God is timeless maintain that God created time and therefore stands “above” the temporal flow. Others suggest that God travels with creation through time.1

Suggested reading on God & time:
• Time and Eternity: Exploring God’s Relationship to Time William Lane Craig
• God & Time: Four Views various authors

1. Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki & Cherith Fee Nordling, Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), p. 115.