In Genesis 15, God let Abram witness Him entering into a covenant on Abram’s behalf. The covenant was with Abram in the sense that it was for Abram, but it did not depend on Abram. His part in this covenant was not to take an oath, but to be the legal witness of God’s oath to Abram to give him and his descendants the Promised Land. Abram’s part was to believe that God would keep His promise, and God accepted that faith and counted him righteous. Abram’s story, and Genesis 15 in particular, makes it very clear why a messiah was needed, why that Messiah had to be God, and why He needed to suffer and die. Given at West Newbury Congregational Church, July 6, 2025.