Christians believe that we are justified, or declared righteous, by faith in Jesus alone, and not because of any good works on our part. But we also believe that our works matter. So how do justification and good works fit together?
Where many religions believe that good works lead to justification, or righteousness before God, Christianity holds fundamentally the opposite position: our justification leads to good works in the life of a believer.
Faith in Christ does not cause us to be passive about pursuing the good of others. Faith that does not produce good works is no faith at all. It is a dead, meaningless thing.
Instead, genuine faith in Christ inspires good works. It leads Christians to pursue the good of all, not to establish our faith, but to confirm the genuineness of our faith, and demonstrate its genuineness to others.