We strive for perfection in our spiritual disciplines. Doesn’t Jesus himself say, “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48)? The book of James appears to support this line of thinking when it states that an individual must pray “in faith, with no doubting,” because a “double-minded man” is “unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6–8).
Portions of James’s letter are difficult to understand, and what he says about prayer appears unattainable. Do any of us truly possess perfect faith when we pray? James states that if we have doubts in our prayer life, we shouldn’t expect to “receive anything from the Lord” (v. 7).
To answer this pressing question requires us to identify the double-minded person. Once we understand who James has in view, then we can better understand what James says about prayer.
Who Are the Double-Minded?
James is the only New Testament writer to use the terminology “double-minded” (dipsychos), and he doesn’t come right out and define the term. So we must determine what it means from the context of James and by comparing his language to similar writings of his era.
It could be that the double-minded are immature believers—a view that would fit with James’s emphasis on the need to press on to maturity in our faith (1:4; 3:2). If so, the double-minded are those not yet mature in their faith. This is possible.
A better option is to understand the double-minded as hypocrites who outwardly behave as Christians but inwardly live as unbelievers. The double-minded in James are analogous to the “double-hearted” in the Psalms, who are the enemies of God’s people (see Ps. 12:2). In Psalm 119:113, the psalmist declares his love for God’s law in contrast to the “double-minded” person. Though James’s word for “double-minded” isn’t specifically used in the Psalms, the concept does seem to be there to describe those not truly committed to the Lord.
Another similar concept is “double-tongued,” an idea found in noncanonical Jewish literature (Sirach 5:9) and in the New Testament (1 Tim. 3:8). The double-tongued are fundamentally divided in the ways they use their tongues (see James 3:9). Their speech reveals what’s really in the hearts better than their outward claims to faith (see 2:14; 3:10–12).
Double-Mindedness as Hypocrisy
Put simply, James uses the term “double-minded” to refer to religious hypocrites. Following his half-brother Jesus, James is tough on those who claim to be religious but who aren’t truly committed to the Lord. Jesus critiqued those who honored God with their lips but whose hearts were far from him (Isa. 29:13; Mark 7:6–7), and he compared the scribes and Pharisees to whitewashed tombs (Matt. 23:27).
James uses the term ‘double-minded’ to refer to religious hypocrites.
James claims that true devotion is caring for those in need (James 1:26–27) and that to be a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God (4:4). These are additional ways James warns against double-mindedness without using the precise term.
To be double-minded is to break the first great command to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Deut. 6:5; Matt. 22:37–38). The double-minded aren’t fully committed to God; they don’t truly love him with their whole selves.
Single-Mindedness and Answered Prayers
To return to James 1:5–8, the reason the double-minded shouldn’t expect to receive anything from God is that a person’s heart condition is related to his or her prayer life (see 5:16). Jesus himself says that God answers his children’s prayers (Matt. 7:11; Luke 11:13). But the Bible warns that God refuses to answer the prayers of the unrighteous (e.g., Pss. 66:18; 73:1; 145:18–20; Prov. 15:8, 29; 28:9, 13; Isa. 1:15–16).
If someone claims to be a friend of God without true love for God, that person shouldn’t expect to receive anything from him. Claims to faith don’t necessarily reflect the reality of true faith (James 2:14). The double-minded person is unstable in all his ways, indicating someone not rooted in faith (see Eph. 3:17; 4:14).
In sum, those insincere in their commitment to God and fundamentally divided in loyalty—those whom James describes as adulterous people (James 4:4)—shouldn’t expect their prayers to be answered.
Instead of being double-minded, Christ tells us to be pure in heart (Matt. 5:8), which includes single-minded devotion to God (Ps. 86:11).
Genuine Prayer
Can true believers be double-minded?
Strictly speaking, no. True believers aren’t the double-minded, fundamentally divided hypocrites. Although the double-minded are nonbelievers, James uses this category to motivate true believers toward greater maturity. Genuine believers must respond faithfully to James’s warnings, remaining vigilant against the danger of living hypocritically.
Genuine believers must respond faithfully to James’s warnings, remaining vigilant against the danger of living hypocritically.
Those who truly trust in Christ should be encouraged that God hears their prayers. Those who love Christ will do what he commands and should have confidence their prayers will be answered (see John 15:7, 10).
Let’s not miss that holding fast to our glorious Lord Jesus Christ manifests in single-minded devotion to God and true love for neighbor (James 2:1). Christ is the One in whom there’s absolutely no double-mindedness and the One through whom our prayers are accepted.
The Gospel Coalition