The answer
There is absolutely no value for good works, whatever they may be, without the foundation of Faith in Christ, and the work of redemption, which He offered us.
According to Scripture,
“[F]or if righteousness (forgiveness) come by the law (good works), then Christ is dead in vain” (Gal. 2:21).
The works of man are likened to however many zeros, for their numerical value is zero. Faith in the Lord Jesus is likened to the number one. If placed before the zeros, it becomes a number. If the number of zeros increase alongside the one, its numerical value increases. Such is Faith and its necessity with respect to works.
Likewise, repentance and remorse over sin have no value in remission of sins without faith in Christ, for the repentance of a sinner does not restore to God His honour and glory.
If a person embezzled a sum of money, does his feeling of wrong, or sorrow, regret, or even his good works that ensue release him from the punishment of embezzlement? Definitely not.
His Holiness Pope Tawadros II
Pope Tawadros II, My Faith: A Series of Dialogues on the Creed (Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate, 2014), 65–66.
The pages in the book (65–66)
