Double-Minded

This is part of a series entitled, “When Double Is Trouble.”

A rather annoying radio commercial has been bouncing around in my head lately. A woman orders a “double shot, double cream, double froth, double pump, double whip, double hot, double caf, double sleeve coffee,” then proceeds to tell her friend everything else two times, including – most importantly – that “did you know that Discover doubles your cashback before the end of the year?” In a related radio spot, she tells her friend that now she “doubles everything,” after learning she can double her cashback.

But double is not always a good thing. James wrote a letter to early congregations of Jewish Christians and pointed out four ways that double can be trouble.

The second paragraph of James’ epistle begins with a wonderful promise: if you lack wisdom, ask for it, and God will give it freely! I’ve claimed this promise countless times facing difficult decisions, relational conflict, and just day-to-day life. But with the promise comes a warning not to doubt. The one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, characterized by inconsistency and variability. “For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:7-8).

What does it mean to be “double-minded”?

James uses this word, dipsychos, or “double-souled” twice in his letter (also 4:8). He’s treating a sort of “spiritual schizophrenia.” This person can’t decide. They have two competing spiritual personalities. They’re not characterized by integrity or wholeness, but by a divided heart. On the one hand, they know they should trust, on the other, they constantly doubt. This produces a consistent inconsistency, which follows them throughout their lives.

Sometimes a double-minded person appears strong in Christian community. Sunday worship shores up those doubts temporarily, but the rest of the week is fraught with worry, unbelief, and spiritual failure. Other times it shows up in a general inconsistency in all areas of life. This person, after all, is “unstable in all his ways.”

In reality, a double-minded person is trapped between faith and skepticism. The author of Hebrews seems to be targeting this same problem in Hebrews 11 and 12. Many commentators have pointed out that, in context, the “sin that so easily ensnares us” (12:1) could be the sin of unbelief. Unbelief is at the root of all sin. When we give in to temptation, we doubt God’s goodness and forget His promises. When we fail to follow Jesus into difficult, but necessary, circumstances, we doubt God’s power and presence. When we snap at our children in anger, we’re not actively exhibiting faith in God’s sovereignty over the situation.

James calls his audience to whole-hearted allegiance to God, not “double-souled” doubt. In the words of the Psalmist, “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with a whole heart” (Psalm 119:2).

We may tolerate a double-shot in our coffee for the afternoon slump, but let’s not be “double-minded” in our relationship with the Lord.