Adult Sunday School Lesson

Zoom Sunday School Classes – 12 May 2024 at 09:00 AM EST

Meeting ID: 848-9423-0612
Pass Code: 669872
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84894230612?pwd=Zk1ESitzbGZwTlJyV21UZXY5aTVPZz09

For Our Sake
(Counted as Righteous)
Romans 4:13-25
Devotional Reading: Genesis 15:1-6
Background Scripture: Romans 4
(Rev Ralph Johnson Teaching)

KEEP IN MIND: 

"No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised." (Romans 4:20-21, NRSV).

LESSON AIM: 

EXPLAIN how Abraham was declared righteous through faith apart from the law,

UNDERSTAND that God’s justification is an act of love motivated by love, and

DETERMINE to trust in God’s ability to save and deliver them regardless of the realities of their situations. 

Faith. Faith is the abandonment of all self-reliance, and complete dependency on God to accomplish His will in our lives. This faith is not a natural attribute or something we can summon up or even grow into.  The source of all faith is God. It is His gift to us.

Because God desires that all humanity be saved, He gives everyone the capacity to believe.  People may not have faith in the one true God, but they will believe in something.  This is because God has given us all a measure of faith (Romans 12:3).

Although all faith comes from God, He allows us to determine where to focus our faith.  When the focus of our faith is Jesus Christ, it results in a salvation experience.  Faith in Jesus Christ is the only requirement for salvation.  This saving faith is much more than a verbal profession of belief in Christ.  It is a fundamental trust in Christ as our Saviour and a heartfelt desire to seek and follow Him as Lord.

This faith in Jesus is both a singular act and a continuing attitude.  Because we believe in a person who died for us, our faith continues to grow as we grow in the knowledge of Him.  Our trust and dependence develop into loyalty and obedience.  This obedience is not given to attain any righteousness, but to please our Lord. It is our faith that brings us into a right relationship with God and exempts us from His wrath (Romans 8:1).  Our new relationship causes us to become dead to the sinful desires of our nature (6:1–8) and indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:5).

The biblical content of this lesson deals with Paul’s analysis of the righteousness of Abraham.  The text reminds us that God considered Abraham righteous, not because of his works, but because Abraham believed God’s promise (vv. 2–3).  Righteousness does not come by obeying the law but by believing God’s promise (vv. 13–15).  Because of Abraham’s faith, he is the spiritual father of all who accept God’s offer of salvation through faith (vv. 16–17).  This lesson calls us to follow the example of faith set by our father Abraham. We walk in the traditional faith standards, which could simply mean believing what God says and applying it to our lives. 

Background: 

When God called Abram, later called Abraham (Genesis 17:5), He opened a new chapter in Old Testament revelation of His purpose to redeem fallen humanity.  God chose Abraham to know and to serve Him with devoted faith.  From Abraham’s seed would come a nation intended to keep God’s ways.  From this nation would one day come the Saviour of the world whom God had promised to Eve (Genesis 3:15).

God called Abraham to separate himself from his country, his people, and his relatives (12:1).  The Lord promised Abraham that He would give him land, make his descendants a great nation, and bless all the peoples of the world through him.

Abraham responded in faith to God’s promises by accepting them and trusting completely in God to accomplish them.  Because he trusted in God, the Lord accepted Abraham’s faith as righteousness (Romans 4:9; Galatians 3:6) and confirmed, a personal relationship with him that was expressed through a covenant.  God’s covenant with Abraham is an eternal covenant (Genesis 17:7).

The promises and blessings God pledged to Abraham extended not only to his physical descendants, but to all who embrace and follow Jesus Christ through faith. All who possess faith like Abraham’s become “children of Abraham” (Galatians 3:7).  Because Abraham’s great faith expressed itself through great obedience, Abraham is our primary example of saving faith.  In his letter to the Romans, Paul uses Abraham’s example to demonstrate that righteousness is a product of faith, not of works.  Abraham was considered the “father of the faithful,” and the model of obedience.  So, the question is: How was he justified, through faith or works? 

LESSON COMMENTARY: 

Glorified by Faith (vv. 13–17, NRSV) 

¹³For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith.
¹⁴If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.
¹⁵For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
¹⁶For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us,
¹⁷as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations")—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

Abraham and his seed are heirs of the world, and all believers are heirs because we are his spiritual seed by faith. Works such as circumcision are not necessary.  Abraham’s righteousness had nothing to do with his circumcision (vv. 9–12).  Rather than attaining righteousness through circumcision, circumcision was given as a sign of faith that resulted in righteousness.  A person’s bloodline is also insufficient to ensure a right relationship.  Abraham is the physical father of the Jews, but he is also the father of many of the Arab nations through Ishmael (Genesis 21:13; cf. 25:12–16).  So then from a physical perspective, Abraham is the father of the circumcised and the uncircumcised as well.  From a spiritual perspective, he is the father of all those from every nation, race, and ethnic group who belong to the family of God through faith (Romans 4:12).  Therefore, all the great promises of God are not only to the physical seed of Abraham, but to everyone who trusts in God as Abraham did.

Having explained that right standing with God is not attained through works, such as circumcision or bloodline, Paul returns to the question of the law. The question is: “Why can’t the inheritance be gained through the Law?”  Paul answers: “For the promise to Abraham that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith” (v. 13).  God made a great and wonderful covenant with Abraham.  He promised that Abraham’s descendants would become a great nation, and all the world would be blessed through him (Genesis 12:2–3).  Not only was the promise made 14 years before Abraham’s circumcision, it was made 430 years before the Law was given to Moses.  So, Abraham could not possibly have been justified by obeying the law because there was no law to obey.  When God told Abraham that all the world would be blessed through him, he announced the Gospel of faith.  “The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and announced the Gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All the nations will be blessed through you’” (Galatians 3:8, NIV).

Paul’s emphasis on faith does not imply that the law is unimportant.  His point is that it is impossible to be saved by the law.  He points out two basic problems with justification by law.  The law erases any hope of ever receiving God’s promises because it demands a perfection sinful humanity is unable to attain.  The second problem with the law is that it actually brings on wrath.  “Because the law worketh wrath: for where there is no law there is no transgression” (Romans 4:15, NIV).  No one can break a law that does not exist, and no one can be condemned for breaking laws of which they are ignorant.  The law exposes conditions that it cannot cure.  Therefore, something greater than the law is required, and that something is faith.

The promised inheritance comes through faith that results in grace (v. 16a).  Grace is the divine favor and approval that God gives to all believers expecting nothing in return.  Grace makes God’s promises sure, “For by grace are you saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8–9).  Once we place our complete trust in Christ, we can be assured of God’s acceptance.  Finally, faith assures God’s promise to everyone (Romans 4:16c).  Every person in every land can inherit God’s promise of eternal life with Him.  This is because everyone in every land can believe and trust God.

Just as the Jews once looked forward to an inheritance in the promised land of Canaan (Numbers 32:19), believers look forward to an inheritance in heaven.  God has reserved an inheritance for us that will never fade, decay, or be corrupted by sin.  The best part is: all we have to do to inherit this great promise is believe. 

1. Discuss: Do religious “rituals” convey grace to all who participate or only to those who participate in faith?
2. Why is the concept of approaching God by keeping the Law (or any good works) fundamentally opposed to “the righteousness of faith”?

Rectified by Faith (vv. 18–25) 

¹⁸Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become "the father of many nations," according to what was said, "So numerous shall your descendants be."
¹⁹He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.
²⁰No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,
²¹being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
²²Therefore his faith "was reckoned to him as righteousness."
²³Now the words, "it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone,
²⁴but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,
²⁵who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.

Paul returns to his example of Abraham as a man justified by faith alone. God’s promise to Abraham stated that he would be the father of many nations (Genesis 17:2–4) and that all the nations would be blessed through him (12:2–4). This promise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ who was born from Abraham’s line (Matthew 1:1), and every nation has been blessed through Him.

The apostle explains the things that made Abraham’s faith so great. First, Abraham’s faith was in a person. The patriarch did not have faith in his faith or in some distant power. His faith was not even in his relationship with God. Abraham’s faith was in God Himself. Furthermore, Abraham based his faith on what he knew to be true of God. “ … who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which are not as though they were” (Romans 4:17b). Abraham’s faith did not call for him to ignore the realities of his situation. He knew that Sarah’s womb was dead, and that he was long past producing seeds of life. But he also knew that God is able to give life to the lifeless and call forth seed where no seed existed.

Because of his confidence in God, Abraham was able to “hope against hope” (v. 18). This means there was no human reason for hope, but he believed God anyway. His faith gave him hope.

Abraham was about 100 years old and his wife was almost as old when God promised him that his seed would be as numerous as the stars. Instead of wallowing in depression over his and Sarah’s inadequacies, Abraham gloried in God’s ability. He did not stagger or waver in his faith. “Being fully persuaded that what he had promised, he was able to perform” (v. 22), Abraham was sure that whatever God promised he was able to bring about. It is that kind of unshakable faith that God credits as righteousness. 

Moses did not write Abraham’s history to honor this great man. He recorded Abraham’s story so that all might know and understand how to become acceptable before God. What did Abraham acquire by works? The answer is: absolutely nothing! He got his children by faith, his inheritance by faith, and his righteousness by faith. “But also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, (Romans 4:24, NIV).

Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected for our justification. He offered Himself as a sacrificial offering for the sins of the whole world--that is, all past, present, and future believers who put their faith in Him. We acquire our righteousness with God through faith because of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice. “Who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification” (v. 25).

The essence of Abraham’s faith was that he believed God could make the impossible possible. Do you believe that God can wash your sins away as if they never happened? Do you believe He can change you from the inside out and make you like His beloved Jesus Christ? Do you believe He will work out every circumstance for your good? He has promised to do it. If we simply believe in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, God will count that belief as righteousness. He will adopt us into His family and make us heirs of all He has. Do you believe?

Discuss the Meaning:

1.    How can a person who struggles with doubt know if he has enough faith to save him?

2.    A skeptic asks, “If God is faithful, then why does He allow good Christians to be persecuted and martyred?” Your reply?

3.    Where is the balance between faith and using means?  Are the two compatible?  When do we cross the line?

4.    Since God did not consider Abraham righteous because of his works, can we judge anyone’s true standing with God by their lifestyle and/or church contributions?

Lesson in Our Society

Many young people and adults are in despair about the future.  Many have given up because there seems to be no hope of ever finding solutions to massive urban problems such as crime, violence, and addiction.  Can you remember times when African Americans had to have strong faith in God to survive?  What are some ways that the Church can help people in our communities to develop faith like Abraham?

NEXT WEEK’S LESSON: 19 May 2024

Remaining Strong
(Counted as Righteous)
Romans 5:1-11
Devotional Reading: 2 Corinthians 3:4-11
Background Scripture: Romans 5:1-11
(Rev Ralph Johnson Teaching)

SOURCES:

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Dummelow, J. R., M.A. Rev. The One Volume Bible Commentary. New York: The Macmillan Company Publishers, 1961.

Dunn, James, D. G., Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 38a, Romans 1-8. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1988

Gaebelein, Frank E., The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Romans - Galatians Vol.11, Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishers, 2007.

James Orr, M.A., D.D., International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Electronic Edition, Parsons Technology, Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa 1998.

Keck Leander E., The New Interpreter's Bible Commentary, Volume X: Acts, Introduction to Epistolary Literature, Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, New York: Abingdon Press, 2015

Morris, William, ed., Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1981.

Mounce, Robert H., New American Commentary: Romans, An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture, Volume 27. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995.

Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Hrsg.): The Pulpit Commentary: Romans. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2004

Strong, James, Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, Electronic Edition STEP Files, QuickVerse, a division of Findex.com, Inc., Omaha, Nebraska. 2003.

Vine, W.E. Vines Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Edited by Merrill F. Unger and William White Jr., Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1996.