God wants us to have unwavering faith.

As believers, we must live our lives in unwavering and consistent faith because God has called us to salvation and sanctified us.

Let us read Psalm 147:17-21 together. The Lord is righteous in all His ways And gracious in all His works. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them. The Lord preserves all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy. My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, And all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever. (Psalm 145:17–21)

Unwavering Faith (James 1:5-8)

5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, 8 being double-minded and unstable in all his ways., How can we live with unwavering and consistent faith? 1. By seeking God’s wisdom and His help (V.5) 2. By approaching God with the right attitude (Vv. 6-7) 3. By giving our complete allegiance to Jesus Christ Our Lord (V. 8)

By seeking God’s wisdom and His help (V.5)

After encouraging the believers to accept trials with “all joy” (the emphasis of this verse is on the phrase “all joy”) for their spiritual growth, James moves on to exhort his readers to “ask” God for wisdom in undivided faith. Because according to James, God is gracious to give that wisdom to those who ask Him. He also suggests that those who do not have that undivided faith in God should not expect ANYTHING from God.

The term “now” indicates a transition or a new section in his argument. However, there remains a connection between the previous statement. In other words, the text is not “disconnected” from the last statement. So, James talked about trials in verses 2-4, asked his readers to consider the trials with “all joy,” and then explained how one can go through life during these trials.

“If any of you lacks wisdom” - This text part is a conditional clause. In the Greek language, there are five types of conditional clauses. This conditional clause is called the “first class-conditional clause.” What does it mean by the first-class condition? It means the writer is making a point for the sake of an argument. However, this may or may not be accurate.

Greek scholar Dr. Daniel Wallace says,

Notice James uses the term “wisdom.” He probably had in mind several Old Testament wisdom sources. For example, he may have certainly in mind the book of Proverbs and other Apocryphal books such as Sirach and Wisdom of Solomon. From the wisdom literature that comes from the Jewish tradition, Wisdom was seen as perfection. Wisdom of Solomon in 9:6 says, “even if one is perfect among the sons of men, yet without the wisdom that comes from you he will be regarded as nothing.” The point is that spiritual perfection would only be achieved when divine wisdom is present. In other words, when going to trials, one would require that “wisdom from above” to endure.

James urges his readers to ask for that wisdom because “The LORD gives wisdom,” according to Proverbs 2:6. Proverbs 8:35 says, “For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD.” That is, whoever finds wisdom means finding life and receiving favor from the LORD. [The Wisdom in Proverbs 8 is personified from a poetic point of view; the Wisdom in Proverbs 8 is also understood as Jesus]. In 1 Corinthians 1:24, Paul points to JESUS as God’s WISDOM.

And James says that if anyone lacks wisdom, “he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.”

The point of seeking wisdom is to endure these trials. If trials are tackled wisely, that will produce endurance, but if a person lacks wisdom and tries to take action when faced with trials, that could lead to an unwise or foolish decision. So by saying that a person who lacks wisdom should ask God, James is pointing out that God is the “Source” of wisdom. James may have in mind Jesus’ teaching on the Sermon on the Mount.

In Matthew 7:7, Jesus said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” James not only says that God would give if one asks Him, but that He would give generously. Therefore, when going through trials, believers should NOT hesitate to ask God for wisdom. God does not hesitate; He was and is ready to give if we only ask.

By approaching God with the right attitude (Vv. 6-7)

In the previous verse, James encouraged his readers to ask God for wisdom when they face trials. However, he says one must ask with the “right attitude.” The term “generous” used in verse 5 has a meaning of God giving with “single intent” or “focused intention” so that we may ask Him with focused intent. Here James calls on his readers not to doubt as we come before God in need of His help. When we ask God for help in prayer, we must do so with the right attitude; that is, without any doubt.

True Christian faith is a “quality” of continuously producing fruit, which must be addressed before God when we face His Bema Seat Judgment. James stresses on undivided faith of a believer. When we say God is able, we must believe He is able and should not doubt. When we look at James 5:15, we learn that God’s answers to prayers are contingent on faith. James was probably drawing this teaching from Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 21:21-22:

How is your faith in God? Is it strong faith, weak faith, or unstable faith?

We must remember that James is not promoting anything false, in a sense, that whatever we ask God will be given to us. James’ point is tied up with “wisdom” in this context, and in 5:14, it is about healing. Jesus’ point in saying, “ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” does not mean we would receive everything we ask. It means that we would only receive what God has promised. But false teachers, prosperity teachers say this to their congregations only to deceive them, that God would give anything if we only ask Him.

James’ use of the term “doubt’ has a sense of creating a division in one’s mind or creating a “distinction,” as in James 2:4; 1 Cor. 14:29 and Acts 11:2 (dispute in Acts). The term is used in Greek as a “reflexive” term (Middle voice), meaning the distinction is created within oneself. From James’s perspective, this word means causing a strong doubt that brings a wavering and inconsistent attitude toward God.

Look at Romans 4:20. Paul says that Abraham did not waver in his faith - “No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God” (ESV). But of course, we know from Gen. 17:15–18 that Abraham did waver. So what is Paul saying? A lie? No. What Paul means by this is that Abraham displayed consistency in his faith in the Lord.

And so, James says the same thing. Do not doubt means to remain consistent in trusting the Lord; he means staying consistent in spiritual integrity. He does not mean God would never answer our prayers because we doubt. God knows our weaknesses. That is why He is a gracious, generous God.

In verse 6, we see the expansion of James’s point. James is portraying what an inconsistent person is like. There is also a comparison in this verse. James compares a doubting person to a sea tossed by the wind and is unpredictable.

James clearly states that believers must seek “wisdom from God.” This means that we should not seek worldly wisdom. However, the doubting person is such that one day he seeks God’s wisdom and the other day he seeks the world’s wisdom - there is no consistency. This person would not receive anything from God or even expect God to provide an answer (v.7).

By giving our complete allegiance to Jesus Christ Our Lord (V. 7-8)

In verse 7, James tells the reader that those who waver in faith should not expect anything from God, and he characterizes these types of men and women as “double-minded” and “unstable” in all their ways.

The term used for “double-minded” actually means “double-souled.” This is the only book that uses this term. However, the concept is not new. James draws from the Old Testament tradition. Psalm 119:2 says that those who pursue God with a “whole heart” are blessed, and the Old Testament Scripture condemns those who portray a “divided heart” based on Psalm 12:2 and Hosea 10:2.

Jesus Christ demands believers to give complete allegiance to God when He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matt. 22:37; Cf. Deut. 6:5).

What does this section teach us?

1. Trust God will ALL YOUR HEART, and lean not on your understanding when facing trials and temptations.
2. We must have consistent faith in the Lord.
3. We must seek God’s wisdom as opposed to worldly wisdom.
4. We must give our complete allegiance to Jesus Christ.

Conclusion:

How is your faith in the Lord? Are you strong in your faith? Is your faith stable? Consistent? Unwavering? Do you trust the only living God who called you to salvation? Do you trust God who set you apart, who sanctified you, who justified you purely based on His love and grace?

Cast your burdens upon the Lord, and He will sustain thee, and he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

The Lord is righteous in all His ways And gracious in all His works. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them. The Lord preserves all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy. My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, And all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever. (Psalm 145:17–21).

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