The Gospel Must Always Be Placarded Before Us

Michael Horton, in Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church, p. 125:

The law tells us what God expects from us; the gospel tells us what God has done for us.

So the law and the gospel are not inherently opposed, but when it comes to how we are saved, these two principles could not be more antithetical. And since our faith at every moment is threatened by our natural tendency to be distracted from its object--Christ--we need the gospel placarded before us not just at the beginning, but throughout the Christian life. The gospel is for Christians too. We need to be evangelized every week. It is not by following Christ's example but by being inserted into Christ, clothed with Christ, united to Christ--as the Spirit creates faith through the gospel--we are not only justified but sanctified as well.