Day 1 - Lord's Day - (Sunday) - The Standard Lesson Commentary, 2023-2024 - Logos

 May 12

Lesson 11 (KJV)

Counted as Righteous

Devotional Reading: Genesis 15:1–6

Background Scripture: Romans 4

Romans 4:13–25

13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:

15 Because the law worketh wrath: where no law is, there is no transgression.

16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end, the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

18 Who, against hope, believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, so shall thy seed be.

19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:

20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

21 And being fully persuaded that he was also able to perform what he had promised.

22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;

24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

25, who was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification.

Key Text

He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.—Romans 4:20–21

Examining Our Faith

Unit III: Standing in the Faith

Lessons 10–13

Lesson Aims

After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:

1. Summarize Paul’s view of Abraham.

2. Explain faith’s role in being counted as righteous.

3. Brainstorm ways to celebrate with loving actions God’s blessing of grace through faith.

Lesson Outline

Introduction

A. “The Primitive”

B. Lesson Context

I. True Heirs of Abraham (Romans 4:13)

A. Not by the Law (v. 13a)

B. The Righteousness of Faith (v. 13b)

II. Supporting Arguments (Romans 4:14–25)

A. Not the Promise (vv. 14–15)

B. Abraham’s Trust (vv. 16–22)

Against All Hope

Fully Persuaded

C. Our Basis of Hope (vv. 23–25)

Conclusion

A. We Are Not Alone

B. Prayer

C. Thought to Remember

How to Say It

Abraham	Ay-bruh-ham.
Deuteronomy	Due-ter-ahn-uh-me.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer Isaac	Dee-truck Bahn-hahf-ur. Eye-zuk.
Moses	Mo-zes or Mo-zez.
Torah	Tor-uh.

What Do You Think? How does your life reflect your trust in God? Digging Deeper What difference does it make that you cannot and do not need to try to earn righteousness?

 

What Do You Think? When have you experienced someone “voiding” a promise? Digging Deeper What gives you confidence that God has not voided the promise He made based on Abraham’s faith?

What Do You Think? How often do you speak of hope as a wish or a dream? Digging Deeper How could your witness of hope be strengthened if you only used the word to refer to hope based on God’s promises?

What Do You Think? Do you react differently to a broken promise if the promise-maker lacks the power rather than the will to fulfill it? Why or why not? Digging Deeper What other examples can you provide of God’s willingness and ability to fulfill His promises?

 

What Do You Think? What does it mean to have righteousness imputed based on faith? Digging Deeper What other verses can you point to that support your answer?

Conclusion

A. We Are Not Alone

God counts us as righteous when we, like Abraham, trust the promises of redemption and live accordingly. We are not righteous because of the good we do or the evil we avoid but because God acknowledges us as loyal to Him, staking all our hopes on His promises. And His offer of salvation extends to all because sin has wrecked us all. We stand together in both our need and our hope.

This unity of humanity may manifest in different ways. We might wallow together in our sins, growing increasingly hostile to each other and sacrificing our ride and hatred. Or we might acknowledge our need, trust in God’s mercy, and join common humanity on the altar of greed and envy as a community built on such faith. The choice belongs to us.

How do we build a community on such a basis? A church full of people who trust God’s promises live generous, open-hearted, kind lives. They, like Abraham, show hospitality to strangers as though they were angels (Hebrews 13:2). Such a church values the whole trajectory of a person’s life of faith, emphasizing neither failures nor heroic successes but faithfulness in the face of adversity (James 1:2–3) and God’s seeming slowness to act (2 Peter 3:9). This community of believers knows itself to be saved, not because of its own merits but because of God’s mercy.

B. Prayer

God of Abraham and all who trust You, focus not on our limitations but on Your great love for Your creation. Thank You for Jesus’ sacrifice, which we accept in faith as reconciling us to You. In His name, we pray. Amen.

C. Thought to Remember

Justification by faith is not an abstract idea but a reality for life.

Involvement Learning

Enhance your lesson with KJV Bible Student (from your curriculum supplier) and the reproducible activity page (at www.standardlesson.com or in the back of the KJV Standard Lesson Commentary Deluxe Edition).

 Mark Hamilton, Noah Goodwin, and Andrew Wood, “Counted as Righteous,” in The KJV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2023–2024, ed. Jane Ann Kenney, Ronald L. Nickelson, and Taylor Z. Stamps, vol. 71, The KJV Standard Lesson Commentary (Colorado Springs, CO: Standard Publishing, 2024), 319–320.