The gospel is preached for the "obedience of faith." God-given faith believes and obeys the testimony of God concerning His Son. The life of a believer is a life of obedience to God. But it is not our obedience but the obedience of Christ that is our righteousness before God. Christ was "obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." The principle is still the same. No obedience or sacrifice to God in one area will compensate for disobedience to plain commands of God in another area. God commands us not only to believe on Christ but to follow Him, to confess Him in baptism, to be identified with His people, to hear His gospel, to separate ourselves from this world (especially its false religions), to love one another, to pray, to give as He has prospered us, and to forsake not the assembling of ourselves together for the purpose of publicly worshipping Him. We are to be doers of the Word and not hearers only.