The Epistle of James
A DOUBLED MINDED MAN
Scripture Reading: James 1:8 (KJV)
This double minded man is the man of verses 5 to 7. He may know he lacks wisdom, and may ask God for it, but he does so in unbelief. He is like the waves of the sea, driven of the wind and tossed. He may not be a hypocrite, but then again he may be. In fact, you cannot tell just what he is. On Sunday you may think he is the genuine article, but on Monday you may have cause to wonder. Sometimes you may think he needs salvation, then at other times maybe restoration.
"... double minded ..." "Double minded" has been translated by some as "double souled." Exactly the same expression appears in Chapter 4:8. Sometimes you think this double minded man is all for the Lord, and then you conclude he is all for the world. He may talk nicely in Bible Class on Sunday morning, but he talks as nicely around the bar or perhaps the x rated movie house the rest of the week. He may even teach a Bible Class, but on Monday he can just as easily gather around the crew at work and tell or listen to obscene stories. He thinks the church good and ok, and perhaps even online pornography. He can show a very pious face when with Christians, but his week day associates would never suspect that he was a Christian. He may say grace at the table at home, but then swear at the shop. A few men on Sunday present a Christian attitude. Some may even lead prayer, yet will swear at other times.
Not dependable: You cannot depend on this double minded man. You ask him to do something and maybe he will and maybe he will not. He will not like it though, if you do not ask him. He may want to teach a Bible School Class, but you cannot depend on him being there half the time, and if he does come, do not be too sure he will be prepared to teach the class. Only rarely will the children learn much from him.
Not sure of anything: You cannot be sure of him in anything. He may appear to love his wife, but then you may hear that he runs around with other women. He tells you he was a wonderful position, but suddenly you hear he has quit. His religious convictions are unstable, too. False teachers come along and beguile these unstable souls. (2 Pet. 2:14). They have no spiritual discernment. To them, what a preacher says may not mean much, but how he says it is what counts. The preacher fundamental or modernistic, that does not matter. Such may be alike, good or bad, to the unstable. They run from one church to another. They are this now, but who knows what they will be in a few weeks. They have no deep seated convictions about anything. Always another road is better than the one they are traveling.
Not sure of salvation: Some unstable souls are not sure of their salvation. You ask them about it and one day they are, and the next day are not sure. One time you meet them they are very happy, but the next time you know they are very sad. Some are present all the time during special meetings, but seldom seen after that. "Their heart is divided" (Hos. 10:2). They are like Ephraim, "a cake not turned" (Hos. 7:8). How sometimes we wish we could make them take a definite stand for Christ. "How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him" (1 Kin. 18:2).
Double minded Christians: Even some Christians are double minded. They desire to serve the Lord, but the world is so alluring to them. They cannot resist the pleasures of the world, or its honors, or its riches. "No man can serve two masters – Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (Matt. 6:24). What they need is the single eye of Matthew 6:22. Such are not happy. They neither enjoy the Lord nor the world.
Preachers often to blame: Many, who profess to be preachers of the Word, preach only a watered down gospel or no gospel at all. Instead of preaching the seriousness of sin, the need for salvation by the new birth, and a life for God as the result of this, too many seem to seek only larger attendance. The same can be said for some elders (leaders) of the body of Christ today. They accept any actions from anyone who professes God, laying little or no stress on practical Godly living – at their door lies much of the blame for the instability of many of those who profess Christianity.
Three kinds of Christians: There are three kinds of Christians. There are tow boat Christians, sail boat Christians and steam boat Christians. The tow boat Christians never go unless somebody drags them along. The sail boat Christians go in fair weather. The steam boat Christians go at all times. What class do you fit into? Are you a preacher of the Word or teacher of a Bible Class? If so, what kind of Christians are you seeking to produce? To have full, well-rounded Christians, one must preach and teach the whole Word of God.
Powerless religion: These are perilous times in which we live. Paul speaks of them in 2 Timothy 3. There never was a time when there was more religion and less reality than today. "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof" (2 Tim. 3:5). Too many today profess to be Christians, but there is no power in their lives to overcome sin. On one hand, they are zealous for their congregation, and on the other, they walk in all the sins of 2 Timothy 3:2-4. One who is truly saved and rightly taught will have power, and a desire to walk in the ways of the Lord.
