From The Valdosta Daily Times: 'On a Double-Minded Man'

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The Bible says, “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways” (Jms.1:8).

A double-mind is “having in the mind opposite or opposing views at different times.”

To be double-minded is the same as having a “double heart” (1 Chr.12:33; Ps.12:2).

Double-mindedness is a sickness of the heart or inner man and cannot be corrected with medicine or any medical procedure. It is indeed a disease of the heart that should be recognized and addressed.

Double-mindedness like any other disease has its symptoms to. The symptom is “instability” which is described by James as one who “is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed” (vs.6). To be double-minded is to be inconsistent, vacillating, to be and act one way today and be and act some other way tomorrow.

When the life is unstable the mind is unsettled, and lacks solid convictions.

A person with a double-mind lives by a double-standard, is two-faced, double-tongued, (speaks with forked tongue) is deceitful, and treacherous. People who are double-minded are not sought out for service in any capacity because they aren’t faithful and cannot be trusted. You cannot put confidence in a double-minded man. “Confidence in an unfaithful man in a time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint”(Pr.25:19).

Double-mindedness was a problem with the early Christians that James had to address. ‘Double-minded’ is one of the key-words of the Epistle (1:8, 4:8). “It implies half-hearted allegiance — an attempt to combine the service of God with the service of self and the world.” We’re beginning to have a double-mind when our faith begins to waver, when we begin to doubt God, (1:6).

Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (Mt.6:24). (Mammon is the name of deity given to material wealth).


There’s no mention anywhere of anyone being triple-minded, who is triple-faced, and three-tongued. That would surely be monstrous. Thank God we only have to deal with duplicity, or duality of mind.

We are either of a double-mind or a single-mind. We are commanded to be and should strive for “singleness of heart” or mind (Acts2:46; Eph.6:5; Col.3:22).

Only when we have a single mind or heart in our service for God can we seek and serve God with our whole heart, our whole being (Ps.119:2,10,34,58, 69,145). To seek and serve God wholeheartedly is to “love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deut.6:5,30:2; Mk.12:30).

To be double-minded and not single-hearted or whole-hearted for God is a sin. James tells the Christians who are double-minded “purify your hearts ye double-minded” (Jms.4:8b).

Double-mindedness can be described as carnality or worldliness.

When Christians are trying to please God and still fit in with the world at the same time, they’re double-minded. Their loyalty or allegiance is neither with the world or with God.

Only when Christians seek and serve God in singleness of mind and with all their hearts are they seeking and serving in sincerity. Anything short of this is sin.

James H. Cagle is a resident of Ray City.