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b. Objections against the doctrine of justification from eternity.
(1) The Bible teaches uniformly that justification takes place by faith or out of faith. This, of
course, applies to passive or subjective justification, which, however, cannot be separated
temporally from active or objective justification except in the case of children. But if
justification takes place by faith, it certainly does not precede faith in a temporal sense. Now it
is true that the advocates of a justification from eternity also speak of a justification by faith.
But in their representation this can only mean that man by faith becomes conscious of what
God has done in eternity.
(2) In Rom. 8:29,30, where we find some of the scalae of the ordo salutis, justification stands
between two acts of God in time, namely, calling and glorification, which begins in time but is
completed in a future eternity. And these three together are the result of two others which are
explicitly indicated as eternal. Dr. Kuyper is not warranted in saying that Rom. 8:30 refers to
what took place with the regenerated before they were born, as even Dr. De Moor, who also
believes in a justification from eternity, is quite willing to admit.[Cf. his De Rechtvaardigmaking
Van Eeuwigheid, p. 20.]
(3) In teaching justification from eternity, the decree of God respecting the justification of the
sinner, which is an actus immanens, is identified with justification itself, which is an actus
transiens. This only leads to confusion. What took place in the pactum salutis cannot be
identified with what results from it. All imputation is not yet justification. Justification is one of
the fruits of Christ’s redemptive work, applied to believers by the Holy Spirit. But the Spirit did
not and could not apply this or any other fruit of the work of Christ from eternity.
2. JUSTIFICATION IN THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.
The idea that sinners are in some sense of
the word justified in the resurrection of Christ was stressed by some Antinomians, is taught by
those Reformed theologians who believe in a justification from eternity, and is also held by
some other Reformed scholars. This view is based on the following grounds:
a. By His atoning work Christ satisfied all the demands of the law for His people.
In the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead the Father publicly declared that all the
requirements of the law were met for all the elect and thereby justified them. But here too
careful distinction is required. Even though it be true that there was an objective justification of
Christ and of the whole body of Christ in His resurrection, this should not be confounded with
the justification of the sinner of which Scripture speaks. It is not true that, when Christ
rendered full satisfaction to the Father for all His people, their guilt naturally terminated. A
penal debt is not like a pecuniary debt in this respect. Even after the payment of a ransom, the
removal of guilt may depend on certain conditions, and does not follow as a matter of course.