信心是因，行為是果

馬太福音12:33 你們或以為樹好，果子也好；樹壞，果子也壞。

善行無助於稱不信者為義人，也不能拯救他。反之，惡行也不使人變邪惡或被定罪。唯有不信使人變成惡人，使樹變壞。唯有不信做出邪惡和該受詛咒的事來。

所以，人是否善惡並非行為造成，而是由於信或不信。正如哲人所說，「人離開上帝就是罪的開端。（《傳道經》10:14-15）」 人一旦不信，就離開上帝了。所以，保羅在希伯來書11:6中說：「到上帝面前來的人必須信有上帝。」 基督也這樣說：「你們或以為樹好，果子也好；樹壞，果子也壞。（馬太福音12:33）」 祂彷彿是在說：「凡想要得好果子的人，先要栽好樹。」

所以，凡願意行善的，不能先去行善，而要先信！因為唯有信心使人成善；唯有不信使人成惡。——馬丁路德 （AE 31:362）

Matt. 12:33 Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad.

No good work helps justify or save an unbeliever. On the other hand, no evil work makes him wicked or damns him; but the unbelief which makes the person and the tree evil does the evil and damnable works. Hence when a man is good or evil, this is effected not by the works, but by faith or unbelief, as the Wise Man says, 「This is the beginning of sin, that a man falls away from God」 [Cf. Sirach 10:14–15], which happens when he does not believe. And Paul says in Heb. 11[:6], 「For whoever would draw near to God must believe.…」 And Christ says the same: 「Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad」 [Matt. 12:33], as if he would say, 「Let him who wishes to have good fruit begin by planting a good tree.」 So let him who wishes to do good works begin not with the doing of works, but with believing, which makes the person good, for nothing makes a man good except faith, or evil except unbelief. （AE 31:362）

禱告： 上帝啊，求你為我造清潔的心，使我裏面重新有正直的靈。（詩篇51:10） 奉主耶穌基督的名。阿們。