Lesson 10 May 30
1:7 Further
persuasion against doubting - lack of faith
For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord.
that man = the
doubter; the one who prays without believing - goes through the motions and
doesn't really think God will meet his need of wisdom.
What should the doubter not expect!
that he will receive
anything from the Lord.
1:7 For that man
(doubter) should stop expecting that
he will receive anything from the Lord.
Summary
1. The believer
negative to God's standards and is doubting is ruled
ineligible to function in prayer.
2. Prayer is not
answered because one is sincere (God is not a maudlin sentimentalist, will not
compromise His essence to please you) but because the petition and the
mental attitude agrees with God.
3. Should we have
confidence in prayer? Emphatically yes!!
- Jn
14:13-15; 15:7; 1 Jn
4. To reject the WOG
consistently and offer up emotional pleas in our prayers is an insult to the
integrity of God.
- see God's view of this type of
believer in Prov 1:22-33
5. This should be a
warning and a challenge to us to get with the truth of the Word.
1:8 Characteristics of the Doubter
"being" a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
a double-minded man
= di,yucoj; 2 souled; double
souled
- attempting to operate on two
standards
unstable - avkata,statoj - lit. no standard of standing (kaqi,sthmi);
therefore speaks of one who has
no stability; unsettled; vacillating in
all his activity and conduct
in all his ways
- o`do,j - pl. indicates a habitual course
of action
*** Know that if we vacillate with truth,
doctrine, and its application in our lives it will have an impact in all areas
of our life. A
tremendously negative impact.
Summary 1:8
1. Being double -
souled indicates that those James is referring to are believers with some
doctrine, have
been in Bible class but are not utilizing what they're hearing properly.
- breakdown
in application. Prov 5:11-14
2. Problem here is
that they're vacillating between the 2 potential rulers of life.
(inner
struggle - war; Gal 5:17; flesh and the Spirit/BD)
3. In the context
this believer the doubter, the double-souled one is not using the BD that he
has, not functioning under his MPR at all times and consequently no growth, no
spiritual advance, therefore God is not going to provide more.
4. Being
double-souled is manifested by:
#1 - prayer not
conforming to DVPT.
#2 - attending
church, place of hearing truth, w/o any intention to apply the principles
of the Word when they are in conflict with the trends and desires of one's sin
nature.
5. Must recognize
that you cannot grow up spiritually by just applying the doctrines you like,
that don't conflict with your sin nature.
6. The double-souled
believer is attempting to go two directions at once.
7. Being double-souled
indicates a basic disloyalty to God.
8. The answer is given in 4:8 (other use of double-minded).