Jam 1:8 …he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Jam 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
The word “double-minded” in the text above literally means “double-souled”. If you look at the Interlinear Bible, which is more of a direct translation from the Greek, that’s exactly how it reads. So, do we possess two souls? What are these verses talking about?
I want to lay a little groundwork first to understand where James is coming from. Who is he writing to? Jm 1:1 says to the “twelve tribes …scattered abroad.” Now, the fact that he mentions the scattering is significant. These are the individuals scattered in Ac 8:1-4 as a result of the persecution of the church going on at that time, so this epistle is not a general letter to the Jewish nation. It is to professing believers, called the church here in Acts, that have been dispersed to different regions of the world. This fact means these people have endured some hardships. They’ve been under heavy persecution insomuch that they have had to leave their homes to escape imprisonment and even death. With that in mind, it makes perfect sense that James would begin his letter with the thought in Jm 1:2: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials…”
James is writing to those that professed Christ even to the point of leaving their homes rather than to deny Him in order to remain where they were, i.e. they have had some outward show of a true work of grace in their hearts. But I want to make this clear as well. Like the Apostle John in 1 John, James is not so naïve as to think that all who call themselves Christians truly are the Lord’s! Remember John’s statement in 1 Jn 5:13? “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” There is professing belief and then there’s true belief, right? True belief lasts and doesn’t change it’s mind later.
There were four types of soil in Jesus’ parable of the sower. The first type is easy to spot. It’s clear you’re dealing with an unbeliever because there’s no interest in the things of God. The word has no effect at all on them. The other three, however, can be hard for a while to distinguish. All receive the word with thanksgiving at the start. All show initial signs of growth to varying degrees. All are professing believers! They know the old, old story, but time reveals the true state of their hearts. Some can’t take the heat. The persecution that will inevitably come is more than they’re willing to take, and finally, these stony-ground hearers fall away. For others, they seem to be of longer endurance, but eventually “the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.” (Mk 4:19).
I believe it’s this group along with true believers that James is focusing on in his letter. As I’ve said, they’ve already endured affliction and have stuck with the church. They’ve proven themselves to not be stony-ground hearers, but now we’re seeing some signs of thorns. If you consider the things Christ said choked the word out of their hearts, you see James dealing with these very issues. He addresses the cares of this world in Jm 1:27, 4:4. The deceitfulness of riches are mentioned in Jm 1:9-11, 2:1-9, 5:1-6. Finally, the lusts of other things are handled in Jm 1:13-16, 4:1-10.
James is not bringing to them again the gospel of repentance as if they’ve never heard the truth. Did you know that the word “repent” isn’t mentioned once in James nor is the word “confess” except as it applies to us confessing our faults to one another? The need of repentance toward God is a foundational principle (Heb 6:1) that they’re well acquainted with. He’s not retreading this ground. They’ve been sitting under the Gospel for a while. They know only God can deal with sin. When he tells them to cleanse their hands and purify their hearts, he speaks of both our responsibility and God’s work (See David Ps 26:6 and Ps 51:10 saying “I will wash my hands” but then asking God to give him a clean hear). Both must exist in the life of the believer if you are not merely a professor but are a possessor! We know that one of the strongest messages in the book of James is our responsibility. In fact, it’s hard to preach on the believer’s responsibility without reading Jm 2:17-20. He’s telling these professing believers that they may be no more than the devils! Their faith is dead of good works aren’t produced by it. Your limbs may be long, your leaves may be green, but what was lacking on the plant in thorny ground? It never produced any fruit! Over and over again in this letter, James is warning those that are hearers and not doers, that seem to be religious, but are self-deceived as in Jm 1:25,26.
With this in mind, we consider our text verses because, in light of the context of the letter as a whole, they make perfect sense! The soul is the seat of the emotions. It includes the thoughts of the mind. It encompasses our desires, our likes and dislikes. The Greek word for soul is where we get our English word “psyche” and is a root for words like “psychiatrist.” The soul is our identity. When we say someone bears his soul, we mean he’s showing us his true self.
Now, these double-souled individuals are those whose religion is vain and they have deceived themselves (Jm 1:26). They live with double identities. They come to church and participate. They may weep at the message (remember the soul includes emotions). They may have some good things to say (their minds knows the truth), but they are double-souled. They have their God-related identity and their world-related identity, but as in Jm 4:4, you’re an adulterer if you try to be both a friend of God and the world. You’re unfaithful. You’re like the adulterous spouse that comes home, putting on his faithful-to-his-wife identity, but when he’s away, he’s anything but faithful (and remember, Jesus is clear that adultery involves more than the literal act–Mt 5:28). You see, you can’t really be both! If you’re unfaithful when you’re away, you’re not really faithful when you’re there, right? A similar thought is presented in Jm 3:8-12. Fountains don’t produce sweet AND bitter water.
Children of God are like God. What He’s birthed within us is like Him. He’s called the “Father of lights” in Jm 1:17. He is the Light of the world (Jn 8:12), so guess what you are, children? The light of the world (Mt 5:14)! What does it say about God in Jm 1:17? With Him there is no “variation,” i.e. no change! Guess what you find with His offspring? They are unchanging in their character as well! Sure, we’re still warring with this flesh and struggling with sin, but you can count on true believers to be the same on Saturday as they are on Sunday. They are the same whether on the Internet or at church! You’ll find them to be a Christian on the church bench and the softball bench, whether at Wal-mart or in Sunday school, at work or at worship. They don’t maintain 2 identities! In contrast, a double-souled man is unstable (Interlinear reads “undependable”) in all his ways.
1 Cor 6:9-11 warns us, “Do not be deceived.” It then lists a long line of sins, and wraps up stating “such were some of you!” That lifestyle is in the past for a regenerated soul. We are instructed in 1 Cor 5:9-11 not to keep company with those (it says don’t even eat with them!) who practice such things and call themselves believers! They are double-souled! They are trying to maintain two identities, but they really only have one! They are deceivers, lying to others and themselves! That didn’t come from God. He’s not their father. Guess who is in Jn 8:44?
“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”
I pray we don’t ignore this message. Don’t apply it to someone you know. Practice 2 Co 13:5: “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith.” Do you need prayer? On the authority of God’s word (Jm 5:16,17), there is great help in the prayers of the Lord’s people for those that confess their need. I’m trying to help. I’m trying to live Jm 5:19 and warn someone that “wanders from the truth.” My hope is that v. 20 will be the result. That a sinner might be turned from his way and a soul saved from death. Remember the encouraging word to the double-souled people in Jm 4:6-10. Submit to God. You will find Him to be gracious! Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you! Humble yourself before Him, and He will lift you up! May our response not be the sad response of the double-minded in 1 Ki 18:21:
“And Elijah came to all the people, and said, ‘How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.’ But the people answered him not a word.”
