Law and Gospel - Part 1

I'm reading a book, Covenants Made Simple: Understanding God's Unfolding Promises to His People, by Jonty Rhodes. As a Reformed believer, I understand the importance of covenants, but some of nuances are still not clear to me. I bought this book to hopefully give me some more clarity. I've learned a lot about law and gospel over the years, but I like to return to it often to solidify my understanding. Rhodes provides a good summary, which I want to share with you. I'll chunk it into three or four posts.

Here is the first part; this comes from the last chapter of the book:

So, the law (as straight commands) cannot save us, but it does show us the kind of people God wants us to be. It convicts us of our own sin, and then, after we've applied the gospel, teaches us how to live. If you think about it, these two functions must go together. When I read: "Do not gossip" and am convicted, I should move to the gospel, repenting of my sin and rejoicing in God's forgiveness. But what to do when I get up from my knees to carry on with life? Well, God still doesn't want me to gossip, so I should take that command and obey it. Law and gospel are not enemies, but friends, when understood rightly. Law without gospel is powerless; gospel without law is pointless. Christ came to save us from sin, not for sin.

The bolded passage is key, I think. The law is our guidebook, our "user manual," for our lives. The law shows us what is right and wrong. As humans, we need that. It shows us what we need to do to lead lives that are pleasing to God. Without faith, we try to obey the law for our own benefit. Through faith, we obey out of gratitude and through the gospel we realize that our obedience comes only through Him who strengthens us. Why would we not want to please our God who gave us so much?

More tomorrow.