Vacillating refers to the act of wavering between different opinions or actions, being indecisive or inconsistent. In a biblical context, vacillation often highlights a lack of faith or commitment to God's commands and principles. The Bible provides several examples and teachings that address the dangers and consequences of vacillating in one's faith and actions.

Biblical Examples:

1. Elijah and the Prophets of Baal:
In 1 Kings 18:21, the prophet Elijah confronts the Israelites on Mount Carmel, challenging their indecision between worshiping the LORD and Baal. Elijah declares, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him." This moment underscores the importance of choosing decisively whom to serve, as vacillation between God and idols leads to spiritual stagnation and judgment.

2. Peter's Denial:
The Apostle Peter's denial of Jesus is a poignant example of vacillation under pressure. Despite his earlier bold declarations of loyalty, Peter denies knowing Jesus three times (Matthew 26:69-75). This incident illustrates the human tendency to vacillate in faithfulness when faced with fear or adversity. However, Peter's subsequent repentance and restoration highlight God's grace and the possibility of overcoming vacillation through genuine repentance.

3. The Double-Minded Man:
James 1:6-8 warns against being double-minded, stating, "But let him ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." This passage emphasizes the instability and ineffectiveness of a vacillating faith, urging believers to seek wisdom and stability through unwavering trust in God.

Teachings Against Vacillation:

1. Faith and Steadfastness:
The Bible consistently calls for steadfastness in faith. Hebrews 10:23 encourages believers to "hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful." This steadfastness is contrasted with the instability of vacillation, urging believers to remain firm in their commitment to God's promises.

2. Wholehearted Devotion:
Jesus teaches the necessity of wholehearted devotion in Matthew 6:24, stating, "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other." This teaching underscores the impossibility of serving both God and worldly desires, highlighting the need for a decisive and undivided heart.

3. The Call to Decision:
Joshua's challenge to the Israelites in Joshua 24:15 serves as a timeless call to decision: "But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve." This call to choose decisively between serving the LORD or other gods reflects the biblical imperative to avoid vacillation and commit fully to God's covenant.

Consequences of Vacillation:

Vacillation in faith and obedience can lead to spiritual instability, missed blessings, and divine discipline. The Israelites' repeated vacillation between faithfulness and idolatry resulted in cycles of judgment and restoration, as seen throughout the Old Testament. The New Testament also warns that a lack of firm commitment can hinder one's spiritual growth and effectiveness in God's kingdom.

In summary, the Bible presents vacillation as a spiritual weakness that believers are called to overcome through faith, steadfastness, and wholehearted devotion to God. The examples and teachings within Scripture serve as both warnings and encouragements to pursue a consistent and unwavering walk with the Lord.1. (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Vacillate.

2. (a.) Inclined to fluctuate; wavering.

1374. dipsuchos -- of two minds, wavering
... derived from 1364 , "two" and 5590 , "soul") -- properly, "two souled"; (figuratively)
"double-minded," ie a person "split in half," vacillating like a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1374.htm - 7k

1644. elaphria -- levity, ie fickleness
... Cor 1:17. Word Origin from elaphros Definition levity, ie fickleness NASB Word
Usage vacillating* (1). lightness. From elaphros; levity ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1644.htm - 6k

793. asteriktos -- unstable, unsettled
... unstable. From a (as a negative particle) and a presumed derivative of sterizo;
unfixed, ie (figuratively) vacillating -- unstable. see GREEK a. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/793.htm - 7k

1252. diakrino -- to distinguish, to judge
... judging "back-and-forth" which can either (positively) refer to close-reasoning
(descrimination) or negatively "over-judging" (going too far, vacillating). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1252.htm - 9k

5530. chraomai -- to use, make use of
... Word Origin akin to chre Definition to use, make use of NASB Word Usage do (1),
treated (1), use (5), used (2), uses (1), vacillating* (1). use, entreat. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5530.htm - 7k

1351. dilogos -- given to repetition, double-tongued
... This person is (vacillating), "speaking out of both sides of their mouth.". [1351
("double-tongued") does "not occur in the or in classical writers. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1351.htm - 7k

Access into Grace
... Our poor natures, necessarily changeable, and sinfully vacillating and weak, will
be uniform, in the measure in which the grace of God comes into our hearts. ...
/.../maclaren/romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/access into grace.htm

The Passion of the Holy Martyrs Perpetua and Felicitas.
... never been reputed other than Catholic, goes far to explain Tertullian's position
for years after he had withdrawn from communion with the vacillating Victor.]. ...
/.../the passion of the holy.htm

Prayer Takes in the Whole Man
... concerning men. God must have men in their entirety. No double-minded man
need apply. No vacillating man can be used. No man with ...
/.../bounds/the essentials of prayer/i prayer takes in the.htm

Concerning Good, Light, Beauty, Love, Ecstasy, Jealousy, and that ...
... purified from all corruption and death and matter, and generation; and separated
from the unstable and fluctuating and vacillating mutability, and are ...
/.../dionysius/dionysis on divine names/caput iv concerning good light.htm

The Hold Fast
... Among the vacillating crowd we long to see fast-holders who are pillars in the house
of our God, whose grasp of divine truth is not that of babes or boys, but ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/the hold fast.htm

The Lenten Fast.
... or devotion, little communing with God, little endeavour to live in the spirit of
Christ, and if, this being so, we find ourselves weak or vacillating in our ...
//christianbookshelf.org/percival/sermons at rugby/xiii the lenten fast.htm

ii.
... conflict between the iron Pope Gregory VII. and the impetuous and vacillating
Emperor Henry IV. (1056-1106), and brought about in ...
//christianbookshelf.org/luther/first principles of the reformation/ii.htm

The Notes of a True Catholic. ...
... [50.] This affliction, indeed, of a hesitating and miserably vacillating mind is,
if they are wise, a medicine intended for them by God's compassion. ...
/.../vincent/the commonitory of vincent of lerins/chapter xx the notes of.htm

Jeremiah
... Jeremiah (xxxvi.), and his successor Jehoiachin, who was exiled to Babylon after
a three months' reign, was followed by the weak and vacillating Zedekiah, who ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/jeremiah.htm

Lamentations
... Again, Jeremiah could hardly have said that "the prophets find no vision from Jehovah,"
ii.8, nor described the vacillating Zedekiah as "the breath of our ...
/.../mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/lamentations.htm

Vacillating (1 Occurrence)
... wavering. Multi-Version Concordance Vacillating (1 Occurrence). 2 Corinthians
1:17 Did I display any vacillation or caprice in this? ...
/v/vacillating.htm - 6k

Vacillation (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) The act of vacillating; a moving one way and the
other; a wavering. Multi-Version Concordance Vacillation (1 Occurrence). ...
/v/vacillation.htm - 6k

Vacancy (3 Occurrences)

/v/vacancy.htm - 7k

Weak (102 Occurrences)
... hence, foolish. 13. (vi) Not having full confidence or conviction; not
decided or confirmed; vacillating; wavering. 14. (vi) Not ...
/w/weak.htm - 38k

Infirm (25 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (a.) Weak; feeble; bedridden; as, an infirm body; an
infirm constitution. 2. (a.) Weak of mind or will; irresolute; vacillating. ...
/i/infirm.htm - 13k

Indecisive (1 Occurrence)
... 2. (a.) Undetermined; prone to indecision; irresolute; unsettled; wavering; vacillating;
hesitating; as, an indecisive state of mind; an indecisive character. ...
/i/indecisive.htm - 7k

Shake (68 Occurrences)
... 7. (n.) The act or result of shaking; a vacillating or wavering motion; a rapid
motion one way and other; a trembling, quaking, or shivering; agitation. ...
/s/shake.htm - 28k

Isaiah (64 Occurrences)
... Hoshea, the vacillating puppet-king of North Israel (730-722 BC), encouraged by
Egypt, refused longer to pay Assyria his annual tribute (2 Kings 17:4 ...
/i/isaiah.htm - 66k

Judaeus
... On the other hand, it fails completely to determine the nature of his mediator in
itself, vacillating in a manner which shows how vague and fluid the ...
/j/judaeus.htm - 29k

Philo
... On the other hand, it fails completely to determine the nature of his mediator in
itself, vacillating in a manner which shows how vague and fluid the ...
/p/philo.htm - 29k

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