James had been teaching that the Word of God is God’s instrument whereby a new life is imparted to the believer. This reminds us of what Paul wrote in Romans 1:16–

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

The wording of verse 19 in the Greek suggests that James assumed his readers knew this fact. We could almost read it like this: You know this, my brothers. James is now going to give his readers what is required of man in his response, which is stated bluntly in verse 21:

[H]umbly accept the word planted in you.

Many Christians like to plead ignorance when confronted with the truths of God’s Word. However, Paul makes it clear that Christians are without excuse in this regard. Kelly makes a very valid point:

It is characteristic of Christianity to know not only the privileges and experiences of saints but also the depths of God; not simply revealed objectively, but subjectively; in inward spiritual consciousness.

Or as Paul wrote:

[B]ut God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10)

1. Get rid of anger, 1:19, 20

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, low to speak and slow to become angry. (verse 19)

While it seems that verse 19 introduces a new topic, this is not the case. In verse 18, James wrote of “the word of truth” through which we are born of God. Since this divine Word has brought us to God in salvation, we must be continue to be led by it as we live for Him. Receiving God’s Word means that we must be prepared to listen to what it says. If believers do not receive all of God’s Word, then the Truth of that Word will be lost. Believers cannot pick and choose what parts to pay heed to and what parts to ignore.

And so, James advises his readers to listen. We admire great orators and teachers who are able to express themselves and expound on marvelous truths, but James puts the emphasis on being able to listen; that is far more important than speaking.

It has been said that listening is an art difficult to master because it means taking an interest in the one speaking, and for we who are self centered and like to assert out own opinions, that is a difficult task. Yet one who continually speaks cannot hear the one speaking, and by the same token, observes Burdick, they cannot hear when God speaks to them, either.

Listening means closing one’s mouth and opening one’s ears and one’s heart. Listening to someone else really is the essence of loving your neighbor as yourself; their ideas, their concerns, and their problems are important enough to warrant your attention.

Almost as an addendum, James cautions against getting angry. Hayes makes the interesting observation that James does not spend much time on the sins of the flesh; indeed, he seemed to leave that up to Paul. Remember, James is addressing primarily Jews, and Jews were prone, not so much to sins of the flesh, but sins of pride and impatience with others, and sins of the temper and of the tongue. Anger not only puts up a wall between believers within the Body of Christ, it closes one’s mind to God’s truth. Burdick, quoting Ross, adds:

Ceaseless talkers may degenerate into fierce controversialists.

A.F. Harper makes this outstanding observation that bears our attention:

A man has two ears but one mouth; he should listen twice as much as he talks. There is a close connection between hearing and speaking, also between speaking and wrath. He who listens best understands his fellowman. Quick speakers often produce grievous words that stir up anger.

We would do well to remember the words of Solomon:

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs. 15:1)

“For,” in the following verse, is a connective word which alerts us that James is about to give us the reason for what he just wrote, namely, “anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”

[F]or man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. (verse 20)

It’s interesting that James does not mention the fact that anger always hurts both ourselves and the person who is the object of our anger. Yet that makes perfect sense, because carnal anger produces unloving conduct between brothers and sisters within a congregation, and that certainly displeases God. Not only that, but anger ruins both an individual’s and a congregation’s witness within the community.

Paul notes another side effect of anger when he implied that anger can hinder our prayers :

I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing. (1 Timothy 2:8)

A great example of how an angry outburst resulted in a very negative effect on one of God’s servants is seen in Moses. He became very angry with the Israelites and did not listen to the instructions God gave him. Instead, in his anger, Moses disobeyed God and therefore was not allowed to enter the Promised Land (Number 20:10-12, 24; 27:14).

Anger is a destructive emotion because it harms so many. One commentator wrote:

The only anger which a man is justified in expressing is an anger like Christ’s (Mark 3:5), which is not the expression of private petulance but of public resentment against behavior or actions which cause others to suffer blame on their part. (Poteat)

2. Get the filth out, 1:21

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

To further prepare to receive the word in it’s fullest, believers must “get rid of all moral filth.” The Greek apothemenoi, “get rid of,” literally means to remove your clothes. This word also occurs in a very similar context in Hebrews 12:1,

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

“Throw off” is the same Greek word, and the context is virtually identical. Furthermore, James uses the word in the aorist tense, meaning it is a continuous action; ridding ourselves of “all moral filth” is something we need to be doing all the time.

Once we have dealt with the taint of sin, believers are then in a position to “receive the word planted in you.” But of note here is that the Word of God is already in us. Moffatt likens the implanted Word to seed and our hearts like soil:

Make a soil of humble modesty for the Word which roots itself inwardly with power to save your souls.

Of special note here is that as James describes “the Word,” it is indistinguishable from Jesus Christ! This is the Word of God as Christ the Word of God! What a thought that is. This Word is the vehicle that can save our souls. The Word faithfully proclaimed and attentively received has the power to transform a life because it is living and active:

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

The word “save” implies not just salvation of the soul but the restoration of life. We might well translate it as “heal” as well as “save.” The Word of God makes a person whole and complete in every way. A.T. Robertson writes,

It brings a present salvation here and now; it is a new life of purity. IT helps in the progressive salvation of the whole man in his battle with sin and growth in grace. It leads to final salvation in heaven with Christ in God.

There is not a part of your life or of your walk with God that is not touched by the Word of God. You can never study it enough. You can never know it enough. It should influence the newest believer and the most mature saint in the Church.

3. Listen Obediently, 1:22-25

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

Now comes the hard part: putting the Word, which is in us, into practice. James comes very close to the teachings of His brother with this section. Jesus said this Matthew 7:21,

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Bowman observes that humility can be taken too far; one can be so humble that they feel unworthy and unable to do anything for God at all, and so do nothing. Not so, says James. People who have this attitude deceive themselves. This teaching of James’ is very similar in some respects to Paul’s teaching in Romans 2:13,

For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.

There is a definite link between doing what the Word says and being righteous. Activity is absolutely essential for the believer. It is the height of folly to sit and hear the preaching of the Word, then after the worship service, just get up and walk away as if the Word of God had nothing to say to you. It’s as foolish as looking in the mirror and immediately forgetting what you look like!

To hear the Word of God but to not allow the Word of God to produce fruit in your life is to not only delude yourself, but it is to mock God, as well. That is why James gives such a grave word of caution here. The whole purpose of reading the Word of God or listening to it being taught and preached, supposedly, is to act upon it. Burdick says that:

Theoretical knowledge is spiritual truth is never commended in Scripture. In fact, it is discouraged and condemned. Knowledge is inseparably tied to experience.

The kind of experience he has in mind is what James has in mind: doing what the Word says we should. As we do, we gain knowledge.

Verse 25 describes the kind of person we should all aspire to be: the one who not only hears the Word but actually puts what they have heard into practice. What a contrast to lazy person who is so slow they forget what they look like. The believer whose ears and heart are open to God’s Word literally bends over to look intently into the Law of God. The meaning of the verb parakypto, “look intently,” literally means “I stoop to see.” It’s pictures somebody examining something at very close range.

4. The tests of true obedience, 1:26-27

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Self-deception is a terrible thing and it is so easy to do, so James give three tests or three exercises that will give evidence that one has not only read the Word but has put it to work.

Self control. One evidence that Word of God dwells richly in you in the ability to control your tongue. James will discuss this more later, but for now he makes the simple statement: if you are genuine and sincere in your relationship with Christ, you will control your tongue.
Charity. Using orphans and widows as merely examples, James writes that those who are living out the Word of God will care for those who are in need.
Personal purity. Lastly, James indicates that if you have read the Word and if you are practicing the Word, you will “keep yourself pure,” “unspotted from the world.” To be a committed, dedicated Christian in the truest sense of the word is not easy. The world around us full of evil and it is enticing. Almost everything in the world is in opposition to God, yet so many believers are yield to it’s temptations. By doing so, our souls are tainted; they are made less pure, while we are being called to purity. As Erdman wrote:

To walk in “white garments,” is to have clean hands and clean hearts, this is to be religious, this is to please God.

Persevering and the Source of Temptation, 1:9-18

Last time, we dealt with the “double minded believer,” a Christian who lives as though they have two souls, one that believes in God and acts accordingly, and one that has no faith in God and lives only for itself. This “double mindedness” keeps believers from experiencing joy in the midst of trials and blocks him from receiving God’s blessing. A Christian must believe with all the sincerity in his heart that God will help him. God will honor this person’s unwavering faith by giving him what he needs. Charles Wesley’s beautiful words ring true:

A heart resigned, submissive, meek,
My great Redeemer’s throne,
Where only Christ is heard to speak,
Where Jesus Christ reigns alone.

1. Trials: the great equalizer, 1:9-11

Verses 9-11 seem to be a whole new topic of discussion, but since verse 12 deals with persevering under trial, verses 9-11 relate in a general way to that subject. James is indicating that trials make all believers equal; rich or poor, all experience trials.

Verses 9 and 10 form a parallelism and contrast. The parallel is “take pride” and the contrast lies in the phrases “brother in humble circumstances” and “one who is rich.”

Because James uses the word “brother,” we know that he is referring to Christians. In the first example, the brother is one who finds himself in humble circumstances. The Greek is tapeinos, which means “lowly,” “insignificant,” “weak,” or “poor.” We assume James is thinking about a brother in poverty, but all of those meanings could be in his mind. The paradoxical statement “high position” is not the position of poverty, for there is no virtue in being poor. The “high position” refers to this believer’s position in Christ. In other words, this person’s source of joy is not his deprivation of material goods, but his sense of worth to Christ. That is what fellowship with Jesus Christ gives a person: a sense of their true value to God. When a person realizes that they belong to God, they understand that the important things in life are spiritual in nature and they soon find that the many material advantages of this life do not satisfy and bring joy.

The other brother is the opposite to the one in humble circumstances. This brother is one who is rich. This person is encouraged to glory in his low position. Does James mean to insinuate that being wealthy puts one in a low position? Of course not; the context involves trials. What James is doing is illustrating the reorientation of values when we come to God. In Christ, there is neither rich nor poor; one’s social standing means nothing to Him. James resorts to irony to hit that point home. Ironically, in this world a person is thought to be superior if they are wealthy. The wealthy are viewed as smarter and more influential by virtue of their wealth. This, of course, has no bearing on eternity whatsoever. The sense of value in Christ that exalts the poor man, humbles the wealthy man, for he realizes the true nature of wealth: it cannot stave of trials and it is temporary. That can be humbling thing for a wealthy man to realize.

Trials in life come to us no matter what our station in life may be. Being poor does not exempt us from trials nor does it make our trials any worse than those of the wealthy. Being wealthy, one cannot avoid trials, like sickness and death, pain and depression. Indeed, the Grim Reaper catches us all, rich or poor.

2. The failure of false security, 1:10b-11

These verses bring to mind the teaching of Christ:

Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. (Luke 12:15, 23 TNIV)

James uses an illustration from nature to make his case of the transitory nature of wealth and material possessions. In fact, James all but quotes from a portion of Isaiah’s prophecy:

A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” “All people are like grass, and all human faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.

The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. (Isaiah 40:6-7 TNIV)

James describes the climate conditions of Israel in a single verse. In the same way indicates that no matter how much wealth one may have, that wealth can vanish quickly. Like the sirocco winds that burn up grass and flowers in the deserts of Palestine, so life’s circumstances can drain one’s resources in a relatively short period of time. We may take a lifetime accumulating things, only to have them dwindle away in no time. But this is also the case with the poor, who may also grow dependent on whatever resources they my have; family, friends, the government. The Scottish Psalter paraphrases Psalm 103 like this:

Man is like the tender flower,
And his days are like the grass,
Withered where it lately flourished
By the blighting winds that pass.

3. Reward for perseverance, 1:12

James concludes his discourse of the testing of faith by writing about the reward that will be given to those who successfully stand the test and persevere. The crown of life may refer to a number of things; it’s difficult to know exactly James has in mind. He may have in mind the Septuagint translation of Zechariah 6:14-

The crown shall be for those who endure.

In this verse, “endure” refers to those who remain faithful; who don’t give up and give in to the sin around them. In James, it has a similar sense; enduring the trial with faith and a good attitude. Another way to look at the crown is the way the Greek readers of this letter would have understood it. Everybody in James’ day would have been familiar with the crown of laurel leaves a victorious athlete was awarded for winning a race. The sense is the same and James’ meaning is clear. The believer who endures their trial is like the athlete who wins his race; and both will receive their reward. Because the Christian life is measured against eternity, the Christian’s reward is an eternal one. Of course, there is some reward for believers to enjoy in this life; the eternal quality of life has its beginnings here and now, but its culmination lies beyond the grave.

A believer cannot earn this crown of life by “hanging tough.” God asks believers to place their complete faith and trust in Him. Consider what Peter said 1 Peter 2:20 and relate his words to James’:

But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. (TNIV)

Of this crown of life, Trench writes,

The crown of life is the emblem, bit of royalty, but of highest joy and gladness, of glory and immortality.

4. The real source of temptation, 1:13-15

James, the model pastor, like all pastors, knows the human heart and he knows that not everybody will be able to endure the tests God places before them. These verses constitute a warning not to blame God but rather to understand the cause of temptation that leads to defeat.

It might be reasoned by some that if God is all and over all as the Bible teaches, then God Himself is responsible for sending to man the various trials of testing and temptations. In point of fact, God does bring believers into situations of testing for the purpose of discerning and strengthening their character. This is, in effect, all part of the believer’s maturing process. However, to suggest that the test or trial is in itself the equivalent of the temptation which may emerge from it is a wholly pagan notion which sees good and evil residing in God.

In other words, as verse 13 indicates, when a believer is going through a difficult time and feels overwhelmed and in a fit of anger or rage curses God, they may later blame their sin on God, after all, since the God is control, then He caused me to sin. James makes it clear that God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. Tempting a believer to sin is evil, and God is not tempted to do an evil act, so He is not the one responsible for the believer’s errant behavior.

In verses 14 and 15, James makes it clear that the temptation to sin comes from within believers themselves. James does not blame anything or anybody; it is by our own sinful nature that each of you is tempted when you are dragged away by your own evil desire and enticed. The verbs “dragged away” and “enticed” are taken from the world of hunting and fishing. They have the idea of a hunter or fisherman luring their prey, then drawing them out of hiding of our of the water. Man’s desire for evil attracts his attention, then persuades him to approach the forbidden thing and then that man is snared by his own bait.

Wiley writes,

All appetite is instinctive and craves indulgence. It never controls itself, but is subject to control. Hence St. Paul says, ‘I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (I Cor. 9:27).

Sin has a definite genealogy, and James traces it from conception to birth to death. First, temptation comes, then desire, like a human mother, conceives and gives birth to sin. Then sin, the spawn of evil desire, develops until it is full grown and ready to produce its own offspring. When sin reaches its full development, it results in death (see Burdick for an excellent discussion of this).

J.B. Philips in his translation of verse 15 links it to verse 16 and says,

And sin in the long run means death-make no mistake about that, brothers of mine!

5. God gives only good, 1:17-18

Again, as the pastor, James understands that the people to whom he is writing have been driven from their homes and are living in strange lands, far from friends and loved one in many cases. James knows their lot is a difficult one and that many of them have undoubtedly began to complain to God. So he addresses them affectionately and admonishes them not to be deceived. James wants his readers to understand what God is really like, not to rely on their distorted perceptions of Him.

Some believers, when burdened down with trials and cares get worn down and worn out and lose perspective and they question the goodness of the love of God. But instead of sending temptations, God is the giver of “every good and perfect gift.” James makes the following points about God that are worth considering briefly:

He is all good. Kistemaker writes that “God is goodness personified.” His goodness to believers is seen by what He has given them. God’s gifts are marked by the thoughtfulness and kindness, not destructiveness. God gave man a world in which to live; God gave man the gift of His Son to save His soul; God give man His abiding presence in the Person of His Holy Spirit. The gifts God gives His people are perfect, and they include all spiritual and material blessings. Since God is in control of every situation that befalls us, and if He gives only good things to us, how could we ever believe He would allow anything to hurt us?

He is ever dependable. God is like the lights He created and placed in the sky: they are always there, shining down on this planet. You can depend on the sun to light the sky by day and the moon and stars to light the night sky. He is dependable like them, and He is light as they are light. 1 John 1:5 says-

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

But unlike the shifting shadows caused by the light in the sky, God “does not change.” God does not produce light and shadow; He is always the giver of good gifts.

Verse 18 is the last reason James gives to prove God is not the cause of temptation. Rather than acting in a destructive manner, God acts constructively: He gave us new birth! He created within us a new heart and a new soul. The word “chose” is emphasized because of its location in the sentence. Giving us new birth was not our choice, but God’s. We did not choose Him, rather God chose us.

In verse 15, James tells us that sin gives birth to death. But here, we learn that God gives us new birth through His all-powerful Word, that is, the Gospel of salvation.

And why did God do all this for us? James says:

[T]hat we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

This is a mystifying verse for us to understand. In the Old Testament, the “firstfruits” referred to the first born of man, of cattle, the first produce from the vineyard, orchard, and field. The “firstfruits” were considers especially holy and belonged to God. They were a foretaste of things to come.

What an honor. We are God’s firstfruits, special and holy to Him. Imagine, that God has chosen us from among all the creatures He created holy and set apart only for Him. We belong to God. How can anybody possibly think God would do anything to tempt us to be led astray from Him?

Wisdom, James 1:5-8

Previously, we considered what James had to say about trials and the difficult times that come along to test our faith. Trials and problems can take many forms, but James says every one them has a purpose: they develop perseverance in Christian character and that in turn causes the believer to grow and mature.

With this group of verses, it seems as though James introduces another topic, however careful reading will show that this is not the case at all. Indeed, James is about to give two very familiar examples of testing, namely poverty and wealth. Either of these may cause a believer to stumble and result in spiritual disaster for them, but if met with “wisdom,” which comes from God, either state, poverty or wealth, may have the positive result of perfecting a Christ-like character.

It should be noted at this juncture that James has a peculiar style of writing. He introduces a topic briefly then develops it later on. In this case, James touches on the necessity of wisdom, then in chapter 3 he delineates two kinds of wisdom, a heavenly wisdom and an earthly wisdom. This reminds us of Proverbs 14:12–

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

Like the earthly wisdom of Job’s friends, looking at trials in one’s life from an earthly perspective will a ways produce a distorted view of them and come up short in giving one what is need to get through the trial with one’s faith intact.

1. One thing needed, verse 5

The collected writings that make up the epistles of the New Testament put a lie to the notion that the early Christians were just ignorant peasants who were conned into serving the Church because of the signs and wonders they witnessed. The letters written by the apostles without exception show a skill and intelligence in their composition that is unmatched by their secular counterparts. James artfully shows how to write a letter to encourage his readers by arranging the words is such an order so the reader could not possibly miss his point. In verse 3 he stressed the word “perseverance” by placing it at the end of the sentence. In verse 4, “perseverance” is the first expression he uses . The last phrase in verse 4 is “not lacking anything”; the first clause of the next phrase repeats this verb, “If any of you lacks wisdom.” James’ meaning in clear: for the person in the midst of a trial the one thing needed more than anything else is wisdom.

The phrase, “If any of you lacks wisdom,” is a factual proposition. James is not saying this person may lack wisdom, he is saying that this person definitely lacks wisdom. We would word it like this: “You may not like to admit it, but you need wisdom.” Nobody likes to be told they are stupid, makes mistakes and needs help because by nature human beings are independent. We want to solve our own problems. James could have been blunt and informed his readers that they all lacked wisdom, but he uses tack by using the phrase, “any of you.”

John Albert Bengal, 18th century theologian said,

Patience is more in the power of a good man than wisdom; the former is to be exercised, the latter is to be asked for.

Wisdom is not something man possess; it belongs to God. In verse 4, James assured his readers that trials are for a purpose; they have a goal. But from the moment the trial begins to the moment it reaches its goal, there is a period of time where the believer will need wisdom to cope with what they are going through. What they need is not some kind of earthly, speculative wisdom based on a man-made philosophical belief system. Rather, it is the kind of wisdom one finds in the book of Proverbs, for example; a God-given understanding that enables the person to remain on the right path and to live a live of righteousness despite his circumstances (Donald Burdick).

Both the Old and New Testaments explain what wisdom is. Solomon expresses it like this:

For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Paul’s idea of wisdom is this:

It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

Harper, citing Robertson, makes an insightful comment:

[Wisdom] is more than knowledge, and it beyond any natural attainment. Robertson writes, “With James wisdom is the right use of one’s opportunities in holy living. It is living like Christ in accord with the will of God.”

This wisdom is available to all believers who s imply ask for it. The Greek behind the English phrase, “he should ask God,” is written in the present tense, suggesting that believers must ask God for wisdom repeatedly. The wisdom we need to make right decisions is not given all at once in a moment of time.

There is nothing in God’s character that would keep Him from withholding wisdom, or any other thing, from believers who ask in faith. God is not partial. Kistemaker makes an insightful observation: Giving is a characteristic of God. Giving to His children is as natural breathing is to the children. Believers would do well to understand that and keep that in their minds as they pray.

What’s more, as if God’s generosity weren’t enough, James tells us that He will give this requested wisdom without “finding fault” in the person asking for it. When we ask God for wisdom, we need not fear that God will judge us for making bad decisions or look at us in reproach. God won’t use your prayer request as an excuse to berate you or make you feel guilty. If when you are praying you have those feelings, they are not coming from God.

2. The right way and wrong way to ask, verse 6a

If anybody lacks the ability to face their trials with joy, all they have to do is ask God. The caveat , however, is this: he must believe and not doubt. Our asking must be absolutely sincere. When we ask God for wisdom, it might be wise to ask ourselves these questions (as enumerated by Harpur):

Do we really want the kind of help that God chooses to give us, or do we secretly hope for an easier way? Do we have faith enough in the wisdom of God and in the love of God to let Him transform us into the persons like himself through the gift of himself? Or is there something else we want from Him?

Sincerity is the main point James is making here. John Calvin remarked:

I offer my heart to you, O Lord, promptly and sincerely.

Asking in faith and in sincerity is the right way to approach God. James contrasts this right way with the wrong way: and not doubt. Faith and doubt cannot reside in a believer at the same time. The Greek phrase meden diakrinomenos is a forceful expression that might be better translated “not doubt at all.” A believer can either believe or doubt, but they cannot do both at the same time. Diakrinomenos describes one with two minds in one head. One mind has faith, the other mind has doubt and this person can’t decide with which mind to side; he wavers back and forth like a drunken sailor walking the decks of a storm-tossed ship.

3. The result of the wrong approach, verses 7, 8

When we approach God, we cannot be seen approaching Him like that drunken sailor, walking from side to side, arguing with ourselves to believe or not to believe. God should not have to discern what you are asking for! When believers pray, they should be able to present their petitions to God, in faith, believing that He will answer. But if you are “double minded,” how does God know exactly what you want from Him? The Greek phrase, dipsychos, and translated literally means “double souled” and this condition makes a believer unstable in all he does. One who is double minded cannot be trusted to make a proper decision in any area of their lives. This becomes evident in the counseling arena, where spiritual deficiencies are manifested in failing marriages, faltering financial health and a host of other problems. When we understand that a Christian cannot make a right decision when they are off their spiritual beam, it should give us pause, not only to examine our own lives, but also the lives of those who are influencing us!

A person like this, according to James, should not think they will receive anything from the Lord. In other words, God will not honor a prayer prayed in doubt. A believer must believe with all their heart that the help they need will be given by God.

This can be a very discouraging portion of Scripture. This double minded attitude can block a believer from experiencing joy in the midst of trials, and it can prevent God from helping them at the same time. There isn’t a Christian since the ascension of Jesus Christ who has never doubted or experienced a crisis of faith. Are you and I the people James is addressing? Are we the drunken sailors, wobbling as we approach God in prayer? De we forfeit God’s blessing because of our weakness of faith? Some perspective will help answer these questions.

Consider two examples in Scripture, one from both Testaments. First Abraham, the father of believers. Here was a man whose faith was legendary, but also his periods of doubt and despair. Yet, despite that, Abraham received the promise of God, and God blessed him. Abraham was not of a double mind, he was not like Janus, whose face looked behind and forward at the same time. Despite his times of doubt, Abraham’s actions proved he had faith.

In the New Testament, we think of the desperate father who cried out, “Lord I believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). This sounds like a man with two brains in his head; one that believed and one that did not. However, this father was not double minded. He earnestly wanted to believe and asked for help to that end.

Conclusion

God wants us to come to Him in prayer because He genuinely wants to help us as only He can. We have His promise, not only here in Jam,es, but throughout the Bible. In Malachi 3:6 we read this of God:

I the LORD do not change.

The author to the Hebrews expressed a similar sentiment in Hebrews 6:17-18–

Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.

God’s can be trusted to keep His promise to give us wisdom because He is unchanging and cannot lie. By the same token, He expects those same characteristics in us. We cannot be changing out minds about Him all the time; believing one moment and not the next. God detests instability and a double minded man is just that: unstable. The double minded person will always go their own way, making their own decisions and lives their own lives apart from God. When this person prays, God cannot answer that prayer. It has nothing to do with God’s unwillingness to answer that prayer, but the person’s persistent doubt.