Legalism? Not so much

And yet, when we look at the whole, we must say this: the legalistic view of the Old Testament is a misunderstanding, because the controlling conception of the Old Testament revelation is that of Divine Grace, freely choosing whom He will. Israel is what it is through Election, not by its own act. The Law is not the real meaning of the Old Testament; it is its outer garment which conceals its inner meaning: the revelation of the generous grace and free election of God, the witness to Christ of the Old Testament. But this veil could not be removed by man himself; it could only be removed by the new Act of revelation in Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word.—Emil Brunner, The Christian Doctrine of Creation and Redemption, 229–30