Faith Questioning

I recently found a journal I had kept several years ago as I read through the epistles written by the Apostle Paul. In rereading my reflections on the book of Galatians, I was again "caught" by the fact that Paul himself had questioned/feared that he had run, or was running, his 'race" in vain. Is it surprising then, that believers find themselves in the same situation?

How often do we question the validity/actuality of our faith? Why do we doubt and live in fear? Is it that we are distracted from the truth of the Gospel by trying to meet man-made expectations for believers?

How often do we forget who we are as believers and set aside our joy by trying to "live up to" the expected responsibilities and "characteristic" of a believer? Faith alone is all that is required.
By this, I am not saying that we should not live out our faith in a tangible way or that we are to promote or habitually participate in sin. God set "laws" before us for our benefit, our safety, our good, and ultimately as a means to lead mankind to faith in Christ. Rather we would set our hearts on obedience to and love for our Savior. A follower of Christ would, by nature, live by the Spirit and not the sinful, fallen nature of mankind. We must never forget that "the law", that the cadre of "rules and regulations" man has created beyond "the law" does not justify us before God - faith in Christ alone does.

How easy it is to not rely on faith alone as we come before God. We are so tempted to worry that we have not done enough to "earn" God's favor - it is through faith in the sacrificial work of Christ alone that we are justified. Paul exhorts believers to remember that we are justified by our faith in Christ before God - not by the observation of the "rules and regulations" of religion. If we are wholeheartedly following Christ with a truly repentant heart, we should not be overly distracted by worry over "meeting man-made expectations" God does not judge His people by their performance, but rather by what is in their hearts. Paul warns believers not to be deceived into thinking that there are "things" or "actions" that must be done or met to be justified. Christ desires faith alone - that is all.