Good Works Equations

What is the role of good works in Christianity? For example, you write a check and give it to support a missionary, or you help a widow by shoveling her driveway, or you teach Sunday school at church. What does that have to do with faith & truth & eternal life? How are those good deeds related to the salvation of your soul? The text of Titus 1:1-4 can be explained in terms of four equations that will help us understand the role virtuous deeds play in becoming a Christian and in being a Christian.