In his sermon on Romans 4:22–25, Stephen Davey explains that Paul presents Abraham not only as the pattern of saving faith but also as the proof that salvation has always been by believing in God’s promise rather than by human effort. Abraham was declared righteous because he believed God—and Paul says this was written “not for his sake only,” but for ours, so that we would imitate his faith. Davey identifies seven lessons to learn from Abraham: salvation depends not on who you are but on who you know—the resurrected Christ; believers can trust God’s promises even when they seem impossible; obedience is required even without full explanation; people of great faith are not perfect but grow through failure; stepping out in faith often brings hardship, not ease; faithfulness is not one grand decision but thousands of small obediences; and being remembered for courage and faith requires actually taking courageous, faithful steps. Through vivid illustrations—from a boy trying to “buy” the Washington Monument to the elderly woman whose simple tea invitation launched a ministry—Davey urges believers to live lives worth imitating. He concludes that just as Abraham believed God about a coming Redeemer, Christians believe in the One Paul describes here: Jesus, “delivered over for our transgressions and raised for our justification,” the Lord whom every knee will one day confess.
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