The Double-Minded Man

James 1:6–8

“For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
— James 1:6–8

The Apostle James is teaching us about Christian maturity. We are not to be content with mediocrity, nor should we regard remaining in the childhood or adolescent stage of Christianity as an acceptable option. We are designed for growth and maturity, that we might become the men and women God requires us to be.

For this we need patience in adversity, strengthened faith and wisdom.

But where do we obtain that wisdom? James tells us to ask God for it. We must be people of prayer, because the wisdom we need is not merely human wisdom—it is wisdom that comes from God.

Yet as we pray for wisdom, we must ask in faith, without wavering.

It is this matter of seeking God for wisdom with a faith that does not waver that leads James into his discussion of the double-minded man.

As he does so, he gives us another of those short, memorable and searching statements for which his letter is famous:

“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

The expression “double minded” comes from one Greek word, dipsychos, literally meaning “two-souled.” It speaks of a divided inner life—divided desires, affections and loyalties.

This is more serious than simply being cautious or indecisive. There is nothing wrong with caution. Indeed, it is often better to proceed carefully than to rush into a decision. But spiritual double-mindedness is something altogether different.

It is to be divided in our loyalty. It is to be uncertain about whom we serve and to whom we belong. It is to have one part of our heart turned towards God while another part is still attracted to the world.

And this is a serious matter which James brings before professing Christians.

But the application belongs to each one of us.

Whether we are saved or backslidden; whether we are long-standing church members or have never professed Christ—we must examine our own hearts.

Am I wholly committed to Christ?

Am I trusting God without wavering?

Or is my heart divided?

James brings us face-to-face with:

THE DOUBLE-MINDED MAN

1. The Double-Minded Man’s Problem

Let us try to understand who this double-minded person is.

It could be me. It could be you. The question is: Do I correspond to the description?

The Christian who lacks conviction

First, there is the Christian who lacks conviction and faith, and who cannot pray with confidence in God—that He hears, that He is able and that He will answer according to His will.

Remember, this passage is connected with prayer. James has just told us:

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God…”

But then he adds:

“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.”

When we come to God in prayer, we must believe that God is God. We must believe that He hears. We must believe that He is able.

Our Lord Himself warned His disciples about unbelief. When they asked why they could not cast out the demon from the afflicted child, Jesus answered:

“Because of your unbelief.” — Matthew 17:20

The disciples’ experience reminds us of the hindrance unbelief can be to faith. Do we really believe that God hears our prayers? Do we believe He is able to do what we cannot do?

The backslider caught between two stools

Then there is the backslider who is caught between two stools. He cannot quite make up his mind whom he should serve—his own lusts, his ambitions, the pleasures of this world, or Jesus Christ.

He wants Christ, but he also wants the world.

Issachar gives us an interesting picture. Genesis 49:15 says:

“And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.”

Issachar had strength and ability, but he saw that the land was pleasant and that rest was good. He was unwilling to bear the burden that was his and eventually became subject to another.

There are Christians who have strength, ability and opportunity to serve God, but who will not carry the burden of discipleship.

Christ said:

“Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” — Mark 8:34

The unconverted person who cannot trust Christ

Then there is the unconverted person who cannot trust Christ because he wants the world. He wants pleasure but lacks true repentance.

Think of the rich young ruler. He came asking:

“What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”

Christ put His finger upon the idol in his heart. He went away sorrowful because there was something he could not give up.

The question comes to us:

What can you not give up for Christ?

What pleasure? What ambition? What possession? What addiction? What secret sin?

The double-minded man has a divided heart.

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2. The Double-Minded Man’s Perplexity

To be indecisive is to be perplexed, to be in a quandary. But why should we be perplexed where spiritual truth is concerned? Why should we be uncertain when our eternal souls are at stake?

What God offers is good. What He has provided is good. His Word is true. Yet our sinful hearts can deceive us and leave us caught in the valley of indecision.

Think of Elijah on Mount Carmel.

The nation had gathered. The prophets of Baal were there. Elijah stood virtually alone for God and challenged the people to decide who was the true and living God.

Then came his great question:

“How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.” — 1 Kings 18:21

And the people answered him not a word. They were caught between two opinions. They would not commit. They wanted to keep their options open. But there comes a time when we must decide.

“If the LORD be God, follow him.”

That challenge is still needed today. How long will we halt between two opinions? How long will we try to have Christ and the world? How long will we keep one foot in the church and another in the world? There is no room for double-mindedness when it comes to eternal truth.

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3. The Double-Minded Man’s Peril

James says:

“For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”

What a picture. A troubled sea. A restless sea. A sea that cannot settle.

Isaiah describes the wicked as:

“the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.” — Isaiah 57:20

The double-minded man is restless and discontented. He is driven by circumstances, feelings, temptation and the changing opinions of the world.

Warren Wiersbe in his little volume on James said on this text:

“Many Christians live like corks on the waves: up one minute, down the next; tossed back and forth”.

This is the opposite of Paul’s commendation:

“But godliness with contentment is great gain.” — 1 Timothy 6:6

Then James gives the solemn conclusion:

“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

Not merely in one way. In all his ways.

Think of a ship caught in a storm. When the waves rise and the wind blows, a vessel without power to steer is in danger of shipwreck.

So it is spiritually. The double-minded person is driven and tossed because he has no settled anchor. He is unstable. That is why we need to take this seriously.

Are we being driven by circumstances? Driven by feelings? Driven by temptation? Driven by public opinion? Driven by the spirit of the age?Or are we anchored in Christ?

Paul understood the danger of spiritual carelessness:

“But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection…” — 1 Corinthians 9:27

We must not play games with our souls.

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4. The Double-Minded Man’s Prescription

What then is the answer?

Be steadfast.
Be firm.
Be resolved.

Instead of being like a ship tossed upon the sea, we must be like lighthouses—steadfast and sure. We stand firm while the storms rage around us, shining the light of truth and giving hope to those who are sailing through the seas of uncertainty and danger.

Know what you believe. Know why you believe it. Know whom you believe. Know whom you serve. And whatever you do, do it with conviction and resolve.

We live in an age when the old paths are being questioned. Do we need doctrine? Do we need theology? Does truth really matter? Do we need the King James Version? Should we dress with respect when coming to the Lord’s House? Is it really proper for ladies to wear the head covering in public worship? Perhaps we have been too harsh on practices such as total abstinence. These matters need to be discussed carefully and biblically. But there is a larger issue underneath them all:

Do we know what we believe? Do we know why we believe it? Are our convictions founded upon Scripture?

Or have we reached the place where we hardly know what we believe or what we should stand for?

We become double-minded.

We live in days of fizzy-bottle Christianity. Plenty of fizz. Plenty of bubbles. What feels good or what looks appealing can so easily replace substance. Very little depth.Very little staying power.

We live in a postmodern age in which a generation has been taught:

“Make your own truth.”

“You have your truth.”

“I have my truth.”

“Who are you to say that you are right?”

Age-old certainties are questioned. Biblical convictions are mocked. Absolute truth is rejected.

But it is false.

It will not succeed.

Truth does not change simply because society changes.

God has spoken.

His Word is truth.

And the Christian must be anchored to that truth.

John Bunyan gives us a vivid picture of the alternative in The Pilgrim’s Progress.

Christian, in his travels, met a man called By-Ends. The name is descriptive. He was a man who would bypass truth in order to reach his desired destination. He wanted the destination, but he was prepared to take his own way to get there.

By-Ends came from the town of Fair-Speech. One of the people who inhabited that town was Mr Facing-Both-Ways.

I fear that today the town of Fair-Speech is proving alluring to some.

We live in an age when people want to say what is acceptable, what is popular and what will keep everyone happy. And as a result, there are those who try to face both ways.

They hardly know what they believe because they are unwilling to stand firmly upon anything.

But this will not succeed.

There is nothing quite like conviction, belief and faith.

Conviction, grounded in the truth of God’s Word, gives us courage to stand. Faith enables us to trust God when we cannot see the way ahead. And this settled confidence in God enables us to face the mountains and obstacles that stand before us.

We cannot face both ways.

We cannot serve two masters.

We cannot have Christ with one hand and the world with the other.

Elijah’s challenge still stands:

“If the LORD be God, follow him.”

And Paul gives us the opposite of the double-minded man:

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:58

The double-minded man is wavering. The steadfast Christian is settled.

The double-minded man is driven. The steadfast Christian is anchored.

The double-minded man is tossed. The steadfast Christian is established.

The double-minded man is unstable. The steadfast Christian is unmoveable.

A Final Challenge

We began by talking about hindrances to prayer.

James says that the man who asks God for wisdom must ask in faith, “nothing wavering.”

Here we discover that double-mindedness is a very great hindrance to prayer.

A divided heart will hinder our fellowship with God. A wavering faith will hinder our confidence in God. An unstable life will hinder our usefulness for God.

But the answer is steadfastness and resolve.

When we settle our hearts upon God, when we trust Him without wavering, and when we determine that we will follow Him whatever the cost, we enter into a deeper fellowship with the Lord.

And this is not simply a call to surrender our wealth. It is not even simply a call to surrender our time.

It is a call to surrender our hearts and our souls. It is a call to surrender every part of our lives to Jesus Christ.

Every desire. Every ambition. Every affection. Every thought.

Paul says that we are to bring:

“into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

This is the opposite of double-mindedness. The double-minded man has a divided heart.

The surrendered Christian has a heart that is being brought into subjection to Christ.

So the question is not simply:

“Do I believe?”

The question is:

“Have I surrendered?”

Is Christ Lord of my thoughts? Lord of my ambitions? Lord of my pleasures? Lord of my possessions? Lord of my future? Lord of my whole life?

We cannot face both ways. We cannot serve two masters.We cannot live with one foot in the kingdom of God and the other in the kingdom of this world.

“If the LORD be God, follow him.”

And if Christ is Lord, then let us be steadfast. Let us be unmoveable.Let us trust Him without wavering.Let us give Him our whole heart.

For:

“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

But the man who is wholly surrendered to Christ has found the place of true stability, true fellowship and true usefulness in the service of God.