Buckhannon, WV; December 10th, 2025

James 1:5-6 NIV- If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

    When we read that, the word ‘doubt’ sticks out like a sore thumb; I was often told in the past that this means we’re not allowed to doubt or question, doing so would mean that (just as the text says in this translation) God wouldn’t answer our prayers. But let’s look at the actual, original language and context of the language and wording of verse 6 and break it down to see if what James was really trying to say.

  James 1:6- Greek: αἰτείτω δὲ ἐν πίστει, μηδὲν διακρινόμενος· ὁ γὰρ διακρινόμενος ἔοικεν κλύδωνι θαλάσσης ἀνεμιζομένῳ καὶ ῥιπιζομένῳ·

Transliteration: Aiteitō de en pistei, mēden διακρινόμενος; ho gar diakrinomenos eoiken klydōni thalassēs anemizomenō kai rhipizomenō.

 More Accurate English Translation: But let him remain in the process of asking within faith, not entering into the process of dividing himself; for the one who remains in the process of dividing himself is like a wave of the sea, continually blown and continually tossed.

            The key word ‘διακρινόμενος; διακρινόμενος’ should be translated as ‘dividing himself’ and indicates a person who is performing an action back onto themselves in an ongoing way (note that, the Bible, when we look at the original language and context, never condemns one time or temporary actions: it’s always someone who makes a practice of doing the sinful things: someone who has integrated that process into their identity and made it a part of who they are. Even then, we must remember: they’re not beyond hope; God can still save them and forgive).

  But God (here) is not talking about someone wavering emotionally, doubting or being unsure (doubt), he’s talking about someone who is making a habitual, personal identification process of splitting their loyalties; we see this in context because, later, James is going to address people who he calls double-souled, spiritual adulteresses, and telling them ‘cleanse your soul, you double-minded;’ the whole letter is about divided allegiance vs covenant loyalty.

   James was speaking to Jewish people, at the time, that lived in pagan Roman cities, were under constant pressure, surrounded by Greek philosophy, surrounded by Roman economic systems, surrounded by idolatry as part of business, politic, and daily life. For Jewish Christians in 40-60 AD, following Jesus put them at odds with: the synagogue, their family systems, the work guilds (see how this applies to today just as much as it did then?) Roman law, Roman taxation, social expectations (and how much more today as well as then?) friends and relatives, neighbors.

   Following Jesus costed them income, reputation, family ties, inheritance, citizen standing, economic standing, economic networks and safety.

   Thus, just as we still are today, they were tempted to be half-in, half-out: Jesus for salvation and the world for safety; Jesus for forgiveness and Rome for prosperity; Jesus for wisdom and Greek philosophy for ‘practical’ help; Jesus as Messiah and the synagogue for approval and security.

   So, we see by this, that James is not correcting a doubting person but is (rather) correcting a person who is trying to ‘hedge their bets;’ someone who would ask God for wisdom but still trust worldly systems, pursue worldly methods, cling to two opposite loyalties, lean on their own understanding and rely on Rome or Greek thought instead of God alone: God calls that spiritual double-dealing.

When we look at the world James was writing to, we begin to understand that their struggle is the same one we face today; these believers wanted to follow Jesus, yet their environment constantly invited them to hold on to something else just in case. That is what James is confronting: he is not rebuking people who feel unsure or who have honest questions. He is calling out the inward habit of splitting loyalty, the quiet decision to pray for God’s wisdom while still keeping a second source of guidance in the back pocket.

If we tell the truth, can we see how easily this pattern repeats in us? Do we ask God for direction, yet we often turn right back to whatever system or voice feels familiar? Do we pray for wisdom, but reach for our own understanding the moment God’s path looks costly or uncertain? Do we read Scripture, yet order our steps according to culture’s expectations, our social circles, or our fears? Do we claim we trust God, but inside we are holding a divided heart?

      That divided heart is what James is exposing; he invites his readers to examine themselves, and that same invitation reaches us, today; we have to pause long enough to ask whether we are living with a hidden split in our allegiance: are we following Christ as long as His way remains comfortable, or are we truly depending on Him when obedience collides with our desires, our reputation, or our sense of control? Are we mixing the wisdom of Christ with the wisdom of the world and hoping it all blends together? James forces us to face this honestly.

Once we see that this is what James is talking about, the call to action becomes simple and unavoidably clear: God is not asking for perfection or unshakable confidence, he is calling us to an undivided heart. The early believers had to decide whether Jesus would be their entire source of wisdom and stability, or whether they would keep trying to borrow direction from the world around them and we have that same decision presented to us every day. The solution to a divided heart is not trying harder but choosing where our trust will actually rest; James is inviting us to come back to a single loyalty, to lean on Jesus alone, and to let the wisdom of God shape our whole life without mixing it with the world’s temporary promises.

When we do that, the process of asking becomes steady rather than chaotic, and the wisdom God gives is able to take root and lead us forward.

Primary translation rendering generated using the Hebrew Masoretic Text (BHS), the Greek New Testament critical text (NA28/UBS5), and Appalachian Post’s continuous-action original-language translation standard. No modern English translation used.

At the Appalachian Post, all Faith & Life analysis follows a strict Sola Scriptura method grounded in the earliest manuscript evidence, the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek languages, and the historical context in which each passage was written. We allow Scripture to interpret Scripture, avoid denominational bias, and base every conclusion solely on what the biblical text itself says as preserved in sources such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint Greek, and early New Testament manuscripts. Our aim is to present God’s Word faithfully, using original-language grammar, historical background, and manuscript accuracy, without personal opinion or modern cultural interpretation, so readers encounter Scripture as it was given, preserved, and understood by the earliest believers.

Sources

Greek Language and Grammar Sources

• Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece (28th Edition): Greek critical text for James 1:6
• UBS5 Greek New Testament
• BDAG: A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd Edition — entries for διακρίνω, δίψυχος, ἀκατάστατος
• Louw & Nida Greek-English Lexicon of Semantic Domains — semantic range of διακρίνω
• Mounce, Basics of Biblical Greek — middle voice usage and participle functions
• Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics — present middle participles and ongoing-action categories

Lexical and Semantic Meaning Evidence

• Thayer’s Greek Lexicon — definitions of διακρίνω, especially middle voice (“to separate oneself, to divide oneself”)
• Spicq, Theological Lexicon of the New Testament — discussion on divided loyalty and double-mindedness
• NIDNTTE (New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis) — entries on “doubt,” “faith,” “wisdom,” “double-mindedness”

Historical-Cultural Context

• Josephus, Antiquities and Wars — descriptions of diaspora Jewish life under Roman pressures
• Philo of Alexandria — insights into Jewish philosophical and cultural tensions in the Greco-Roman world
• Everett Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity — Roman economics, idol guilds, and social pressures
• Ben Witherington III, Jewish Christian Literature — historical setting of James and diaspora communities
• Craig Keener, IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament — cultural and political context of first-century Jewish believers

Semantic and Theological Context in James

• Douglas Moo, James (Pillar New Testament Commentary) — treatment of double-mindedness and divided loyalty
• Peter Davids, The Epistle of James (NIGTC) — linguistic analysis of διακρινόμενος
• Scot McKnight, Letter of James (NICNT) — covenant loyalty theme
• Richard Bauckham, James: Wisdom of James, Disciple of Jesus the Sage — unity of James’s themes (divided heart, wisdom, loyalty)

Jewish Thought and Symbolism

• First-century Jewish understanding of the sea as chaos (Gen 1:2; Ps 46:3; Isa 57:20)
• Mishnah Avodah Zarah — idolatry within trade guilds
• Dead Sea Scrolls (1QS) — dualism of “two spirits,” instability, and divided heart motifs