Faith Comes First
For we are God's workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance
for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10
Your have often heard me say that Christian life has tow dimensions: the first is faith, and the second is good works. A believer should live a devout life and always do what is right. But the first dimension of the Christian life - faith - is more essential. The second dimension - good works - is never as valuable as faith. People of the world, however, adore good works. They regard them to be far higher than faith.
Good works have always been valued more higher than faith. Of course, it's true that we should do good works and respect the important of them. But we should be careful that we don't elevate good works to such an extent that faith and Christ become secondary. If we steem them too highly, good works can become the greatest idolatry. This has occured both inside and outside of Christianity. Some people value good works so much that they overlook faith in Christ. They preach about and praise their own works instead of God's work.
Faith should be first. After faith is preached, then we should teach good works. It is faith - without good works and prior to good works - that takes us to heaven. We come to God through faith alone.
Exerpt from Faith Alone: a daily devotional by: Martin Luther