- Let’s Stay by the Scriptures

ONE SCHOOL OF CHRISTIAN THOUGHT divides the grace of God into two kinds: “covenanted grace” and “uncovenanted grace”—the first being the grace of God as it operates through the gospel, and the second being the grace of God as it may operate sovereignly outside of and apart from the covenants of the Word. Uncovenanted grace would be that by which God met and blessed men and women before the covenants of Scripture were brought into being. It might also explain how God has enlightened human consciences and drawn us to the love of goodness even where the Word of God has not been preached.
This is a fascinating bit of side doctrine—and there seems to be no way to prove or disprove it—but it would be sheer folly to place any confidence in it. If God could operate satisfactorily outside His sacred covenants as revealed in the Scriptures, it is hard to understand why He should go to such pains to make His great spiritual compacts with mankind and to cause them to be written down in the Word of truth for our enlightenment.
No, there is only one true source of light concerning the grace of God—the Sacred Scriptures. Whatever God may say or be saying to the conscience of mankind, He speaks redemptively by the prophets and apostles, and by them alone. All authentic testimony about salvation centers around the cross of Christ and sounds forth from it to the whole world.