Gospel Guidebook: Getting and Keeping It Right 
Causation, Correlation, and Lies of Religion
In every area of life, except the realm of religion, people intuitively understand what it means to believe something. For example, the American Heritage Dictionary defines "believe" primarily as "To accept as true or real." This is what "believe" means in every area of life. However, in the realm of religion, people are just supposed to "accept as true or real" that "believe" means something entirely different. The Dictionary goes on to provide the supplemental definition as "To have firm faith, especially religious faith." Redefining "believe" to mean something other than "To accept as true or real" is one of the lies that "the god of this world uses to blind the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ" (adapted from 2 Cor. 4:4).
This lie about the meaning of "believe" allows Satan's angels of light to promote the idea that there is an inherent causal relationship between faith and works, just like there is between a fruit tree and its fruit. I do not question that faith can (but not necessarily) influence behavior, and as such, there can exist a causal relationship between faith and works, but to imply that such a relationship is inherent to faith, like a fruit tree bearing fruit, is incorrect. Faith is just one of many external variables that can influence behavior, and in many cases because of irrationality, people act totally independent of their beliefs. There are many biblical accounts where believers often acted contrary to their beliefs and where similar beliefs were often accompanied by vastly different behaviors.
Instead of speaking of causation, it would be more biblical to speak of correlation. Faith and works are positively correlated. This is plainly described in James 2 where James, rather than explaining how faith supposedly produces works, quite to the contrary explains how works need to be added to faith for faith to be able to do anything. What James taught is, in many respects, the complete opposite of what we hear in the pulpits. James clearly shows that there are benefits from supplying works to faith, and as such, it shouldn't surprise us to find faith and works often together. This explains the correlative relationship between faith and works. As for a causative relationship, if the people in the pulpit took the time to read James carefully and take his words at face value, they'd surely be shocked to discover that James says nothing from which we can draw any conclusions about causation at all.
As I've said many times on this website. It is not possible to properly understand the Gospel yet misunderstand the nature of saving faith. If Jesus did it all, then there is no room for a "religious faith." The faith that saves is bare and idle, for it merely "accepts as true" the content of the Gospel. People who are holding onto a "religious faith" that produces works like a fruit tree have misunderstood the Gospel. For a more detailed explanation on the relationship between faith and works, causation and correlation, and the application in some key passages of Scripture, please see the article, Relationship between Faith and Works in Key Passages.