The Law and Gospel: Martin Luther vs. Mark Dever

Mark Dever, like John MacArthur, confuses the law and the gospel in all of his writings. For instance, Mark Dever says, "But according to the Bible, although freedom is a wonderful aspect of our message (e.g., John 8:32-36), sin and guilt are at the very heart and core of the gospel. Making people aware of their lost and sinful condition is part and parcel of sharing the good news of Christ." - The Gospel and Personal Evangelism, pg. 56

Here Mark Dever confuses the law and the gospel by saying that at the very heart of the gospel is sin and guilt. This is actually false. It is the law that results in sin and guilt. The gospel is good tidings of great joy about what Christ got done on the cross for the elect alone by His death by which he makes His people whom he died for accepted by His righteousness alone imputed to them. The gospel declares. It is news. It does not chide.

The Apostle Paul says that it is the letter that kills but the Spirit brings life.

However, Martin Luther properly distinguishes the law and the gospel in his book "Against the Heavenly Prophets".
He says:

"Now in order that we do not open our mouths too wide and marvel at the skill of these false spirits, and thereby abandon the main articles, and thus deceitfully be led off the track (for thereby the devil succeeds through these prophets), I will here briefly recount these articles of the Christian faith to which everyone is above all things to pay attention and hold fast.
The first is the law of God, which is to be preached so that one thereby reveals and teaches how to recognize sin (Rom. 3[:20] and 7[:7]), as we have often shown in our writings. However these  prophets do not understand this correctly, for this means a truly spiritual preaching of the law, as Paul says in  Rom. 7[:14], and a right use of the law, as he says in 1 Tim. 1[:8].
Secondly, when now sin is recognized and the law is so preached that the conscience is alarmed and humbled before God's wrath, we are then to preach the comforting word of the gospel and the forgiveness of sins, so that the conscience again may be comforted and established in the grace of God, etc.
Christ himself teaches these two articles in such an order (Luke 24[:47]. One must preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins in his name. 'And the Spirit (he says in John [16:8]) will convince the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment.' You do not find either of these two articles in this one or any other of the false prophets. They also do not understand them, and yet these are the most important and necessary articles." - Martin Luther, Against the Heavenly Prophets, Pg. 160

Notice that it is the Law that reveals sin and alarms the sinner. Only after this does the gospel come to comfort the wounded sinner.

Like Beza, Luther calls these two things (Law and Gospel) articles.