Quote:
Originally Posted by R. Scott Clark  Richard,
That's just the point. The word justification isn't being used the same way in each of those instances.
Most Reformed orthodox deny eternal justification. See Berkhof on this.
Clearly justification at the judgment cannot mean the same thing as justification accomplished in time. It means vindication.
It would be clearer to speak of justification
1. Decreed (the cause)
2. Accomplished (the ground)
4. Applied
4. Vindicated
When is a sinner actually justified? When it is applied, sola gratia, sola fide.
rsc |
Richard -
If you've got a copy of Murray's Redemption Accomplished and Applied, this list gets flushed out well, particularly the necessity of acknowledgment of the fact that ACTUAL justification is a declarative act in time, and that, as I mentioned earlier, there is no separation of these list elements from one another. That is if anyone has had step 1 done for them, all the rest follow, in their time. Truly, as Dr. Clark has pointed out (and Fred, too), the doctrinal concept of justification is most narrowly concerned with step 3 - the application, and constitutive act of God to constitute the sinner just.
Get Murray's book - it's REALLY quite good.