Faith vs. Works
Faith comes first. We believe in God and the "work" that we do afterward is an evidence of our faith. Just doing the work doesn't matter. That's why going through the motions of religion doesn't mean anything unless there is faith that motivates the "work."
For example, Abraham believed God first and the act of circumcision came after as an outward sign of the inward faith.
In baptism, we believe God first and as an outward sign before fellow believers we are baptized.
Simply put - faith matters. Faith makes us righteous, not works.
If we compare ourselves to others by what we do and judge others for not being as good a Christian as ourselves, we are basically saying that works is more important than faith. In v. 4 Paul gives an example of the difference between works and faith. When you work for something, what you receive in exchange (your pay) is an obligation - it is what is owed to you. When you receive something because you trust in God then you receive something that you could not have worked for.
Thus, salvation, the sacrifice that would cleanse you of all your sins -- you can't work for. It's humanly impossible. So, our righteousness has little to do with how good we are but rather our faith in God declares us righteous.
What does faith look like?
1. It's humble. It knows that we are righteous not because of what we have done but rather what Jesus has done.
2. It's thankful. It is grateful for the life that is given to us.
3. It is evident in our works. Faith is exemplified and demonstrated through our acts. Each act should reflect that we trust in God. If we truly believe that God has His perfect and good will, we are at peace no matter what circumstances may come because we believe that God is leading us.
What else does faith look like?
May we have faith.
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