The finished works of Jesus Christ have radically redefined obedience from the Old to the New Testament. Under the law, mankind was required to obey perfectly through constant self-effort in order to avoid being cursed; the focus was on man’s perfect performance, first, before being blessed. This covenant failed because no one was able to keep all of the commandments. By contrast, in the New Testament, we receive the blessings promised to us by believing in Jesus’ perfect obedience instead of in our own. This frees us from depending on our own actions. No longer do we have to toil to be seen as righteous in God’s eyes; we can now receive righteousness as a gift that Jesus made available to us by faith in Him. This is true freedom as defined by the Gospel of Grace.