Have you ever been reading the Bible and come across a phrase like this one in the book of James, “…ask in faith without any doubting…”? As you read that, do you ever wonder, “What does it mean not to doubt and instead to have faith?” Or, what about facing a difficult situation where you know trusting God and having faith is greatly needed? We’ve all been there–a problem that is out of our control, and we’re struggling. It could be friendship, work situations, children, a spouse, and more.
In those moments, we want to have faith; often, we want even more faith than we have, but it can be challenging to know how to have more.
To be sure, there are answers like “Have more faith.” However, if we’re not careful, we can quickly become focused on “growing” our faith rather than positioning ourselves correctly before God.
What do I mean?
Let’s think about it like this… If making it through to wisdom (according to the need James is raising to see trials correctly) is to have faith, then we would all want a whole lot of faith. We would be tempted, therefore, to think that what’s needed is accumulated or built-up faith. While that’s true and does occur, that’s not the type of faith (free of doubt) James refers to here in his epistle’s opening chapter.
It’s not even close.
Instead, James says doubters are like those who stand in judgment. In other words, to doubt, according to James, is to stand in judgment of one’s condition, i.e., walking through a difficult trial or challenge. The word James uses in verse 6 is διακρίνω (diakrinō), which means to judge. When you put the word dia (which means through) in front, it means to judge through. Simply put, according to James, when someone is doubting, they are placing themselves in the position of judging their circumstances instead of entrusting them to God. We saw this first with Adam and Eve and then clearly in the book of Job.
How Does This Apply To Us Today?
- To doubt means to put yourself in a position of authority over your circumstances.
- To have faith means to entrust your circumstances to God.
- Therefore, Christians express faith in this context by “considering their circumstances with joy…because they know God is going to ultimately work them out for good.”
God help us to be joyful Christians, not judging and doubling Christians. Amen and Amen.
“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.”
James 1:5-6
— January 23, 2025