Paul calls his first witness in the case for grace: what does Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.

Credited, banking language, righteousness deposited, not earned. And the timestamp matters: before circumcision, before law, before performance. Meanwhile David organizes priests and musicians by lot, every assignment from God's hand. Grace credits; grace also assigns. Receive both today.

Paul's accounting metaphor deserves slow reading: wages are what working earns; crediting is what grace does, righteousness deposited into the account of the ungodly who simply trust. Abraham is Exhibit A and David Exhibit B, the patriarch believed before any ritual, and the king was blessed by sins not counted. The family of faith has one entrance and it is not a turnstile of merit.

Chronicles adds the aftermath of credit: assigned service. Priests, singers, and gatekeepers all received duties by lot, from God's hand, prophesying with harps, guarding thresholds, and the justified likewise receive their stations as gifts, not auditions. Psalm 13 gives you the day's grammar: how long, but I trust. Believe God, take your assigned doorway, and sing.