“Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.”
Romans 4:1-5 NLT
Folks, do you know that your actions mean little without underlying faith. Although Abraham had been demonstrating his faith through his actions, it was believing in the Lord, not his actions, that made Abraham right with God. God credited righteousness to Abraham because of his faith.
We too can have a right relationship with God by trusting him with our life. Our outward actions—church attendance, prayer, good deeds—will not by themselves make us right with God. A right relationship is based on faith—the heartfelt inner confidence that God is who he says he is and does what he says he will do. Right actions follow naturally as by-products.
The Scriptural Truth 