Jesus says, “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt.” As much as to say: He who wishes to have good fruit, will begin with the tree, and plant a good one; even so he who wishes to do good works must begin, not by working, but by believing, since it is this which makes the person good. For nothing makes the person good but faith, nor bad but unbelief.
–Martin Luther
Our goodness or badness is related to our belief in Jesus. If we truly believe Jesus is who He says He is – the God of this universe and the Author of our salvation – then we will definitely submit to His Lordship and do the good works He has planned for us. We will believe that He is completely worthy of our devotion and service. If we don’t fully believe it, then we will not have a good reason to be obedient. Therefore our belief is what drives our works, and therefore our belief dictates our goodness or badness.
My actions show my beliefs. So what I am showing that I believe about Jesus by how I live, think, and speak?