Excerpt from Dudley Hall’s book Grace Works (Successful Christian Living Ministries, 1992)

The old covenant operated by principles, the new covenant by promise. Isaac was a product of promise, not principle. His birth was a miracle of a fulfilled promise, not just the natural result of following a principle.

This distinction between principles and promise explains why the apostle Paul chose not to preach anything to the Corinthians other than “Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). This puzzled me somewhat as I thought of all the wonderful Old Testament truths that were readily available to Paul. He could have easily have preached Proverbs with all its wisdom. He could have preach Psalms with its varied and creative expressions of intimacy. Or he could have explored the many lessons from the history of Israel. Yet he focused completely on the message of Christ crucified. Why? Because Christ’s death and resurrection represent the highest and most climatic revelation of God’s entire design. It is God’s bringing life out of death and something out of nothing according to His promise. That really is gospel (good news)!

To many [people], the Christian life is one of discovering the principles that govern each aspect of existence and following them to their conclusion, thus reaping the benefits of adherence to the Designer’s plan. This is obviously better than neglecting the precepts of God and blindly living with no guide. But there is an even higher form of existence. It is living by faith, developing a vital relationship with God Himself and enjoying His presence and personality.

Promises require faith. You can’t work a promise. It is not a formula. To believe a promise, you must get to know the One who makes the promise. Then you must live in patience and trust and relationship while that promise shapes your life.

Striving to do something for God is wasted labor. He wants to do something for you that will be so obviously His own that the world will wonder at His goodness toward you.

God has made great and precious promises to His covenant people. We can rest in His trustworthiness. Jesus is the fulfillment of all God’s promises to us. As we embrace His life, God performs in us everything He requires of us. When God’s promises are the issue, trust and rest are the result. When principles without promises are the issue, performance and striving will always be present.

The grace of God sounds too good to be true. It surely looks illegal to the natural mind. It is beyond any human reasoning. It can be embraced only by the human spirit as it comes by revelation. Those who are not open to revelation cannot hear it, and they take a dim view of those who can (see 1 Corinthians 2:9-14). But those who live under the new covenant spread its blessings wherever they go, despite the persecution of those who cling to the old.