Dr. Clark,
I am no FVist but I thought that justification defined as "a divine declaration of righteousness" occurs in a four-fold way:
1. In eternity in the covenant made with Christ as our head;
2. In time at the cross in Christ our head;
3. In time and in our own person when we receive faith; and,
4. At the final judgement when we are declared righteous openly to all by God.
My supporting evidence is Thomas Goodwin in his
Objects and Acts of Justifying Faith:
"1. In the everlasting covenant. We may say of all spiritual blessings in Christ, what is said of Christ Himself, that their ‘goings forth are from everlasting.’ Justified then we were when first elected, though not in our own persons, yet in our Head (Eph. 1:3). 2. There is a farther act of justifying us, which passed from God towards us in Christ, upon His payment and performance at His resurrection (Rom. 4:25, 1 Tim. 3:16). 3. But these two acts of justification are wholly out of us, immanent acts in God, and though they concern us and are towards us, yet not acts of God upon us, they being performed towards us not as actually existing in ourselves, but only as existing in our Head, who covenanted for us and represented us: so as though by those acts we are estated into a right and title to justification, yet the benefit and possession of that estate we have not without a farther act being passed upon us."
Hence Pink writes "Before regeneration we are justified by existing in our Head only, as a
feoffee (one who is given a grant), held in trust for us, as children under age." He then quotes Goodwin who says that we "are to be in our own persons, though still through Christ, possessed of it, and to have all the deeds and evidences of it committed to the custody and apprehension of our faith. We are in our own persons made true owners and enjoyers of it, which is immediately done at that instant when we first believe; which act (of God) is the completion and accomplishment of the former two, and is that grand and famous justification by faith which the Scripture so much inculcates—note the ‘now’ in Romans 5:9, 11; 8:11... God doth judge and pronounce His elect ungodly and unjustified till they believe".