Duality – The Double Life

Foundation scripture Eph 5:1-5

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.” Ephesians 5:1-5 ESV

• God’s expectation is that as children of God, no form of sinful living should be found in us.

• So that fornication, uncleanness and the like should never be associated with any Christian.

• People who are called Christians and yet live a different lifestyle underneath are guilty of duality.

WHAT IS DUALITY ?

Duality is the act of living two lives (a double life). It is also the act of having two personalities or two natures embodied in one person. One lifestyle displayed in public, and the other lived in private.

Such a dual person has one behaviour pattern he exhibits when he comes into public. This is to impress the people around. He has another type of behaviour when nobody can see him. For those who claim to be Christians, one lifestyle is displayed in church, and the other, outside of church.

Duality encourages the spirit of hypocrisy, the spirit of lies and the spirit of self-deception. One of the ?greatest forms of deception is self-deception. When you are a fool and you don’t know that you are a fool, your situation is worse than a fool who knows that he is a fool!

In engineering one of the basic proponents of problem solving is identification of the problem. When you are sick and you don’t know you are sick it is almost impossible to prescribe a remedy. But when you are not well and you know the problem the solution to cure is 50% complete.

Deception is a very dangerous thing which comes about by repeated lying. When you knowingly and continuously lie, you begin to believe the lie.

EXAMPLES OF DUALITY

Now I want to show you several examples of the dual life. Samson was a perfect example of someone with a dual life. His dual behaviour was so classic that every Christian must learn something from him.

1. SEPARATED AND UNEQUALLY YOKED

That was the state of Samson — he had a religious separated side of him, which was shown by the fact that he never cut his hair. Yet he was unequally yoked to the things of the world.

There are Christians who appear separated from the world, but yet live in sin. Samson’s life was one that was separated and yet was entangled in the world. He was separated because he was a Nazarite —that is, someone who was not supposed to live like the rest of the people. He was unique, in the sense that he was not supposed to drink, or cut his hair.

He didn’t cut his hair, and it was a sign of his consecration to God. All those around him thought he had nothing to do with the world. It was an open sign to everyone that Samson was a Nazarite, separated unto God. He never drank, and everybody knew him to be so.

But at the same time, he was practising another kind of quiet evil, by linking himself with the devil and the world. These two things were going on in his life at the same time. This was a man who would not cut his hair, who claimed to be Charismatic, who was wearing the Nazarite hair, a sign that he was separated to God. But at the same time, he wanted to have an unbeliever wife (Judges 14: 2-3).

Samson also played with God. He wore the long hair, which was a sign that he was a member of a Christian church, but still dabbled in fornication with the world. Apparently separated, but also with the world.

“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” 2 Corinthians 6:14-16 ESV

2. SPIRITUAL AND CARNAL

Samson was a spiritual person and yet he was carnal. At certain times he gave the impression that he was very spiritual. At other times it was surprising how carnal he could be. The contrast is such that you wonder if this carnality and spirituality could be in one person? Judges 13:25 tells us that, “…the Spirit of the Lord began to move him at times…”

The Spirit was upon the man and yet he was carnal. He was so spiritual that he was the spiritual leader of Israel for twenty years! However, we realize that he had a woman problem: He was a playboy although he had the Spirit of God.

Judges 16:3 recounts that he carried the gates of the city on his shoulders. What a mighty man! In this sense he was not weak. He was so mighty that he killed one thousand people with a jaw bone.

However, Judges 16:4-17, portrays Samson as being morally weak. This allowed Delilah to take advantage of him. She overcame the mighty man because he was also a weak man! Are you both mighty and weak?

“But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?” 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 ESV

3. WORSHIPPING WITH YOUR MOUTH, YET REBELLING IN YOUR HEART

God is sick of duality and of all forms of pretence. When the Israelites practised duality, God became so angry that He refused to accept their sacrifice.

He queried, ‘To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me?… Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me. … I cannot, away with it… Isaiah 1:11,13.

God was tired of their hypocrisy; and told them that He would not heed their prayers. Because after praying they turned and did evil. God said, “Away with it! I cannot, and I don’t want it.” Truly, there are so many Christians who sing, lift up their hands, and tell the Lord that they love him — but these are often empty words.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:1-2 NKJV

4. MEN PLEASER AND GOD PLEASER

Is it possible to please God and men at the same time? In Galatians 1:10, Paul states, ‘…for if l yet pleased men, l should not be the servant of Christ.’

According to Paul, if he pleases men he cannot please Christ. It is as simple as that! There is no way you can please men and think or believe you are pleasing God. Walking with the Lord on this long road of ministry, I have had to do many things that were often not pleasing to men. I simply could not please men.

You can’t look up and look down at the same time. It’s time to please God fully. In conclusion in James 3:17 the Bible talks about wisdom that comes from above

“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” James 3:17-18 NKJV

To be able to live a single life that pleases God would require us to fully surrender and be yielded to serving Him alone. To do this needs wisdom that comes from above, that is what can bring transformation. Be Blessed!

Rev. Ron Chiarelli