Statements such as “God created time” or “God exists outside time” are quite common.  But such statements are nonsensical as existence requires time; something cannot exist without the passage of time.

Historically, humans have measured time by the movement of the heavenly bodies (the sun, moon, and earth).  More recently by mechanical clocks, which are then corrected by the celestial clock.  More recently still by the vibration of a quartz crystal (digital clock) or an atom (atomic clock).  These things are all part of God’s creation, so one could say, “God created the things by which we measure time”, or “God exists outside of our measurement of time”.

There are a couple of verses which are used to justify the statement “God created time”.

2Ti 1:9  who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time [chronos] began [aionios],

Tit 1:2  in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time [chronos] began [aionios],

At first sight these verses indicate that time had a beginning, and as God is the creator of all things created, He must have created time.  However, these verses are rather badly translated.  The phrase “time began” is translated from the Greek chronos aionios.  The word chronos means time.  But aionios means eternal, everlasting, without beginning or end.  Various translations have “ages of time”, “eternal times”, or “times eternal”.  It just means a long time ago.  The above verses tell us that God’s plan of salvation goes back a long time ago.

We understand that God did not create time, but what is the best way to describe God’s relationship with time?  Surely the best way is how God explains it in Isaiah.

Isa 57:15  For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: …

God inhabits eternity. God lives in eternity.