What Does It Mean to be 'Double Minded?'

   “Double-mindedness” could be described as the person who says one thing and then does the opposite.  They cannot be trusted, not unlike the society we live in today. Today we refer to them as being “two-faced.”  We find the words “double minded” exclusively in the book of James. It comes from the Greek word “dipsuchos,” which means “a person with two minds or two souls.”  Some Bible theologions believe that James might have acually coined this word himself. To really understand this word, we need to consider how it is used in the Scriptures. 

   In James 1:6–8, James describes a doubting person “like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”  One who doubts is a double-minded person. In Matthew 6:24, Jesus described such a person as one who tries to serve two masters — they are  unsteady, wavering in both their character and their feelings. A double-minded person is often confused in their thoughts, actions, and their behavior, literally being at war with themselves.  They cannot fully give themselves to God; wanting God but letting themselves be pulled into the world and it’s many desires. We could describe them like a drunken man unable to walk a straight line, swaying one way, then the oth ...

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