Are we born justified?

[pnattmbtc]

​

​Our earthly life is not eternal life.  Romans 5:18 states, "the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life".

Christ has reversed our condemnation in Adam, legally, by answering the demands of His law.  His justification of humanity is a historical event that is not undone.  However, it can rejected.  To those who reject the gospel there's only condemnation.

​This still isn't addressing my post.  For your convenience, I'm reposting it here.  I'm interested in your response.

EGW wrote specific reasons regarding why infants/small children would not be in heaven.  We have received some light on this subject.  She spoke of the importance of how infants/young children are raised in terms of the implications of their eternal destiny.  The light regarding Romans 5:18 happened during EGW's lifetime.  She has many quotes which reflect this.  She lived almost 30 years after 1888.

If I'm understanding you, you're asserting the following:

1.She said we didn't have all light, and would receive new light.

2.Your interpretation or Romans 5:18 is that infants are born justified, which is new light she didn't know about.

If I'm understanding you correctly, I think this idea is problematic for the reasons I pointed out above.  If I'm not understanding you correctly, please correct my misunderstanding.

[pnattmbtc]

​

​Our earthly life is not eternal life.  Romans 5:18 states, "the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life".

Christ has reversed our condemnation in Adam, legally, by answering the demands of His law.  His justification of humanity is a historical event that is not undone.  However, it can rejected.  To those who reject the gospel there's only condemnation.

​

You asked the question of how God deals with Galatians 3:10.  I quoted Waggoner.  Certainly that's a good source, isn't it?  I think Waggoner eloquently answered the question you asked.  Waggoner explained what the curse of the law is, and how that curse is met.

[Robert]

 

2.Your interpretation or Romans 5:18 is that infants are born justified, which is new light she didn't know about.

 

Okay, so?  She stated that she and the church had "only a glimmer" of the light that was to come....

Look, I'm not infallible.  If I'm wrong prove it to me using Scripture, not Ellen White, Jones or Waggoner.  

[pnattmbtc]

Okay, so?  She stated that she and the church had "only a glimmer" of the light that was to come....

Look, I'm not infallible.  If I'm wrong prove it to me using Scripture, not Ellen White, Jones or Waggoner.  

​I guess you didn't understand my post? I was trying to present your argument in a way you would approve of, and I pointed out a problem I saw in the logic.  I was asking you to address that.  I didn't quote Waggoner in what I wrote on this point.  We have several discussions going on.  What I was asking you about was in regards to your comments about infants.

Regarding the curse of the law, I did quote Waggoner, but his argument was taken straight from Scripture.

[8thdaypriest]

​Not supported by Scripture....It is nothing but supposition.

​I disagree Robert.  I think it is WELL SUPPORTED by Scripture.

Convince me that "the rest of the dead" are all condemned, and are resurrected just to hear judgment pronounced against them, and then to die by the "fire of God".

Convince me that the Battle of God and Magog, is the SAME as "the lake of fire" destruction which finally consumes ALL of the wicked including Satan and His angels.

[8thdaypriest]

I looked at every passage with the words, justify, justified, justification, and gospel.  I'm trying - for my own sake - to clarify this argument in my own mind.

Romans 5:16 And the free gift is not like the effect of the one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification. 17 If, because of the one man's trespass, death exercised dominion through that one [Adam], much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all.” (NRS)

Robert says "the free gift" brought acquittal for all men from the condemnation in Adam, regardless of whether they "believe" or not.  Every man stands justified. 

I say it brought acquittal for those who would believe and have faith (the kind of faith that leads to good works). 

To me, it's like a proclaimed amnesty for undocumented aliens.  Every one of them may come forward to receive legal status in the Kingdom of the United States.  But in order to "receive" the legal status (justification) they must believe the word of the authorities, and take action to come forward.  If some of them do not HEAR about the proclaimed amnesty, they won't come forward, and they won't receive it. 

So - in the First Century Writings, we are "justified by faith" - when we believe.  One must believe in order to "have faith".  And one must HEAR before one can believe. 

Acts 15:7 “And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: "Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.” (NKJ)

Romans 10:14-15  “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?    

What IS "the gospel" ? 

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power [authority] of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” (NKJ)

It is my belief that Jesus WON the authority to forgive and to grant eternal life to everyone who would believe in Him. 

NIV  2 Timothy 1:9-11 “He has saved us and called us to a holy life-- not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.  And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.” (NIV)

He destroys death and brings immortality "through" the gospel - "through" the preaching of the Gospel.  If there is an amnesty passed by the legislature and approved by the court, it does no good for anyone, IF IT IS NOT PUBLISHED abroad, to let people know about. 

What does it mean, that Christ “abolished death” ?  I believe it means that He abolished the inevitable “death” “in Adam” to which the entire human race was consigned. He "abolished" it by providing a way of escape from that death.  What is the means of escape ?  BELIEF in Jesus Christ as Lord.  There is no other way. 

Hebrews 4:2 “For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.”

Who is “them” ?  Israel in the wilderness.   They did not profit from the gospel which was preached to them.  Why?  They did not believe!  The gospel ALONE - the good news that forgiveness if available - is not enough to save.  The human MUST RESPOND to what is HEARD - with belief, that leads to repentance and righteous works (thru the indwelling Spirit).

The Spirit is working at every point in the process.  The Spirit of God convicts the person as he HEARS the gospel presented.  Then the Spirit empowers the person to "obey the gospel".  

I never realized the gospel was something to be obeyed. (See Rom 10:16 & I Thess. 1:8.)  How does one "obey the gospel" ?  They repent, turn back towards God, and confess their new found faith thru baptism.

Jesus bought everyone.  He paid for the sin of the entire world.  Which gives Him the authority (power) to grant eternal life to anyone.  Will He finally give eternal life to everyone?  No!  Only to those who believe in Him as Lord and give witness to that belief, with their service. 

 

[8thdaypriest]

justified - 06663 צָדַק tsadaq {tsaw-dak'}

To be declared right, in the right, or just, or righteous, or vindicated, in the eyes of the law.
To be put or made, right. (As after a debt, or a penalty is paid.)
To be cleansed.  
To be cleared of wrongdoing.

Matthew 12:37 “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (NKJ)

So - condemned is the opposite of justified.  

I Corinthians 4:4 is a good example.  

1 Corinthians 4:4 "For I know nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord” (NKJ).

The Greek word translated “justified” is  δικαι?ω dikaioo, Strong’s #1344.
The CJB and NIV translate it “innocent”.
The NAU and NRS as “acquitted”.

[8thdaypriest]

Romans 3:30 “because, as you will admit, God is one. Therefore, he will consider righteous [justify] the circumcised on the ground of trusting and the uncircumcised through that same trusting” (CJB).

Galatians 3:8 “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed’” (NKJ).

Romans 3:21-24  “But now, quite apart from Torah, God's way of making people righteous in his sight has been made clear - although the Torah and the Prophets give their witness to it as well - 22 and it is a righteousness that comes from God, through the faithfulness of Yeshua the Messiah, to all who continue trusting. For it makes no difference whether one is a Jew or a Gentile, 23 since all have sinned and come short of earning God's praise. 24 By God's grace, without earning it, all are granted the status of being considered righteous before him, through the act redeeming us from our enslavement to sin that was accomplished by the Messiah Yeshua (CJB).

Redemption for the individual, requires TWO things:

1.  the faithfulness of Yeshua Messiah  (making justification possible for all men)

and

2.  the trust (belief) of that individual human being (which can only come thru HEARING the Good News, with the help of the Spirit of God)

We are saved "by grace" (#1 - God's part) "through faith" (#2 - our part).  (Ephesians 2:8)

 

[8thdaypriest]

Robert seems to believe that forgiveness (release from condemnation) was bestowed upon all men, thus justifying them, without any response whatsoever on their part. 

Responding was deemed a "work" and was therefore NOT REQUIRED, before one could be declared "just" in the eyes of the law.
 Infants and pagans who never heard of Yahweh, much less the Gospel of Christ, were rendered just in the eyes of God. 

What I found was that "belief" and "faith" ARE REQUIRED as our part BEFORE we may stand "just" before God.  Faith IS a gift from God.  But I must ACCEPT the gift. 

Romans 3:28 “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law” (NKJ).

Our response of "faith" is NOT DEEMED a "deed of the law".  It's NOT A WORK. 

Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (NKJ).
    
It does NOT say that we have been justified BY CHRIST.  It says we are justified by faith in Christ.  Faith is our response to what we have heard - the Gospel. 

Edited May 5, 2015 by 8thdaypriest
forgot something

[pnattmbtc]

Robert seems to believe that forgiveness (release from condemnation) was bestowed upon all men, thus justifying them, without any response whatsoever on their part. 

Responding was deemed a "work" and was therefore NOT REQUIRED, before one could be declared "just" in the eyes of the law.
 Infants and pagans who never heard of Yahweh, much less the Gospel of Christ, were rendered just in the eyes of God. 

What I found was that "belief" and "faith" ARE REQUIRED as our part BEFORE we may stand "just" before God.  Faith IS a gift from God.  But I must ACCEPT the gift. 

Romans 3:28 “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law” (NKJ).

Our response of "faith" is NOT DEEMED a "deed of the law".  It's NOT A WORK. 

Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (NKJ).
    
It does NOT say that we have been justified BY CHRIST.  It says we are justified by faith in Christ.  Faith is our response to what we have heard - the Gospel. 

​Not speaking for Robert, but wishing to comment, the way I would put it is there is a corporate work and an individual work.  I think Ellen White's comment, "To the death of Christ we owe even this earthly life" addresses the corporate work succinctly and clearly.  The physical life that we owe to Christ's death is what Romans 5:18 is talking about, "justification of life" (not "justification by faith").

When the sinner hears the good news, that even his physical life is a gift provided by God at infinite cost, if he does not resist the Holy Spirit, the goodness of God will lead him to repentance, and he will be justified by faith.

[8thdaypriest]

If a man slips off a cliff, and is hanging by his hands, and is about to fall to certain death, and mountaineer lets down a rope, is the man then "saved" by the mountaineer, or because he takes hold of the rope, and hangs on for dear life?  OR is it BOTH?

[8thdaypriest]

If you are lost in a national wilderness area, and a Park Ranger show up and says "Follow me.  I'll show you the way out." 

are you saved by the ranger, or because you chose to believe the ranger and you follow him to safety?

[Robert]

​Regarding the curse of the law, I did quote Waggoner, but his argument was taken straight from Scripture.

​The curse of the law is failure to keep everything written in the book of the law.  Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by assuming our corporate humanity into Himself and meeting the demands of the law.  Hence "our old life died when Christ was crucified".  That's the good news of the gospel.  All men have been justified because they were put into Christ, not by baptism (how silly), but through the incarnation.  We are legally justified and in Him we stand perfectly righteous. 

[Robert]

​I disagree Robert.  I think it is WELL SUPPORTED by Scripture

​Where?  In the unclear, symbolic text of Revelation? 

[Robert]

I looked at every passage with the words, justify, justified, justification, and gospel.  I'm trying - for my own sake - to clarify this argument in my own mind.

Romans 5:16 And the free gift is not like the effect of the one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification. 17 If, because of the one man's trespass, death exercised dominion through that one [Adam], much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all.” (NRS)

Robert says "the free gift" brought acquittal for all men from the condemnation in Adam, regardless of whether they "believe" or not.  Every man stands justified.

What Christ did is already true. So yes, all men have been justified in Him.  To those who reach the age of accountability they need to accept this truth by faith because God will not force it on those who can understand spiritual things.   For those who can't understand, they are accepted in Christ.

 

Look at Romans 1:19-20

18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 

19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 

20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. 

 

Paul is speaking of the Gentiles, who didn't have the law (the OT).  Did they know of Christ?  Did they know of repentance?  Did they know of the Sabbath?  No!  Then how did they accept "the unknown God?"  Through what was created.  God accepted them by faith.

 

So you aren't put into Christ when you repent, believe, etc....That's anti-gospel.  The human race was put into Christ at the incarnation when Christ's Deity was blended with our corporate fallen humanity.

 

Edited May 5, 2015 by Robert

[Robert]

​ The physical life that we owe to Christ's death is what Romans 5:18 is talking about, "justification of life" (not "justification by faith").

​Justification to eternal life....not this fallen, sinful  life.  

[Robert]

If you are lost in a national wilderness area, and a Park Ranger show up and says "Follow me.  I'll show you the way out." 

are you saved by the ranger, or because you chose to believe the ranger and you follow him to safety?

​Not applicable to Christ's finished work.....

Edited May 6, 2015 by Robert

[8thdaypriest]

What Christ did is already true. So yes, all men have been justified in Him.  To those who reach the age of accountability they need to accept this truth by faith because God will not force it on those who can understand spiritual things.   For those who can't understand, they are accepted in Christ.

 

Look at Romans 1:19-20

18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 

19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 

20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. 

 

Paul is speaking of the Gentiles, who didn't have the law (the OT).  Did they know of Christ?  Did they know of repentance?  Did they know of the Sabbath?  No!  Then how did they accept "the unknown God?"  Through what was created.  God accepted them by faith.

 

So you aren't put into Christ when you repent, believe, etc....That's anti-gospel.  The human race was put into Christ at the incarnation when Christ's Deity was blended with our corporate fallen humanity.

 

​Robert,  I never thought for a moment that you would change your teaching.  I posted my answers for others to read, so they can have a clearer understanding of the argument.

[pnattmbtc]

​The curse of the law is failure to keep everything written in the book of the law.  Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by assuming our corporate humanity into Himself and meeting the demands of the law.  Hence "our old life died when Christ was crucified".  That's the good news of the gospel.  All men have been justified because they were put into Christ, not by baptism (how silly), but through the incarnation.  We are legally justified and in Him we stand perfectly righteous. 

​Requoting a part from Waggoner:

"Stop and think what this means; let the full force of the announcement impress itself upon your consciousness. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law,”—from not continuing in all its righteous requirements. We need not sin any more. He has snapped asunder the cords of sin that bound us, so that we have but to accept His salvation in order to be free from every besetting sin. It is not necessary for us any longer to spend our lives in earnest longings for a better life, and in vain regrets for desires unrealized. Christ raises no false hopes, but He comes to the captives of sin, and cries to them, “Liberty! Your prison doors are open. Go forth.” What more can be said? Christ has gained the complete victory over “this present evil world,” over “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,” and our faith in Him makes His victory ours. We have but to accept it."

Isn't this good news?  "Gospel" means "Good News."  According to the Spirit of Prophecy, God in His great mercy sent us a most precious message.  She said that Waggoner could teach Righteousness By Faith better than she could.  Robert Wieland learned from Waggoner, and Sequeria from Wieland, each putting things in their own words, but Waggoner was the root of it (actually Paul, of course, but in terms of the Romans 5:18 ideas we're discussing, this comes from Waggoner).

I understand and agree that the corporate work that Christ did for us on the cross (but not limited to the cross; that's also important) is wonderful and important, but that's not all the good news there is.  What Waggoner wrote is wonderfully good news, and also fits into the context of what Paul wrote in Galatians 3.

[pnattmbtc]

​Justification to eternal life....not this fallen, sinful  life.  

​

Here's what Waggoner wrote regarding Romans 5:18

By the righteousness of One the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” There is no exception here. As the condemnation came upon all, so the justification comes upon all. Christ has tasted death for every man. He has given himself for all. Nay, he has given himself to every man. The free gift has come upon all. The fact that it is a free gift is evidence that there is no exception. If it came upon only those who have some special qualification, then it would not be a free gift. It is a fact, therefore, plainly stated in the Bible, that the gift of righteousness and life in Christ has come to every man on earth. There is not the slightest reason why every man that has ever lived should not be saved unto eternal life, except that they would not have it. So many spurn the gift offered so freely. 

I'll give you my take on this, and would be interested in yours.

I understand that by virsture of Christ's coporporate work, we were saved from the second death, and we live physically.  "To the death of Christ, we owe even this early life."  "Never one, saint or sinner, eats his daily food, but he is nourished by the body and the blood of Christ."  So even our physical existance, we owe an infinite debt to Christ.  Even if we chose to reject Christ, we would still owe an infinite debt to Him, as the choice was purchased with an infinite price.

When the sinner recognizes the love of God revealed in Christ, if He does not resist, he will repent and by justified by faith.

There is an objective reality, that everything we have and are and do is of infinite value because it was purchased by Christ, and a subjective reality, we can be brought into harmony with God if we do not resist the Holy Spirit, who informs of the objective reality.  We subjectively experince objective reality by faith.

Thank you for your responses.  I appreciate the time you take in your posts.  I'm not trying to nick pick or pick fights with you, but trying to understand things better.  Dialoguing with others is helpful in this regard.

[8thdaypriest]

pnattmbtc

So Waggoner is saying that Adam and Eve would have been wiped out of existence as soon as they sinned, except for the promise of the Savior.  Mankind's continued existence, and every choice made by every single descendant of Adam was BOUGHT by Christ's promise and His death.  Yes - I can buy that.  

Christ's promise and subsequent death BOUGHT a "grace" period - an extended probation. 

At their creation Adam and Eve were declared "very good" by the LORD.  Is "very good" the same as "justified" ?  The word justified implies a conflict - some question as to whether one is just/righteous/innocent of wrong.  It is a legal term.  So far as we know, no one was questioning whether Adam and Eve were "very good".  Well - maybe Satan.  Maybe he said the same thing of them, as he later said of Job, "You protect them.  That is why they obey You."  "They just have not been presented with a choice."   Hmmmmm ???

[pnattmbtc]

pnattmbtc

So Waggoner is saying that Adam and Eve would have been wiped out of existence as soon as they sinned, except for the promise of the Savior.  Mankind's continued existence, and every choice made by every single descendant of Adam was BOUGHT by Christ's promise and His death.  Yes - I can buy that.  

Christ's promise and subsequent death BOUGHT a "grace" period - an extended probation. 

At their creation Adam and Eve were declared "very good" by the LORD.  Is "very good" the same as "justified" ?  The word justified implies a conflict - some question as to whether one is just/righteous/innocent of wrong.  It is a legal term.  So far as we know, no one was questioning whether Adam and Eve were "very good".  Well - maybe Satan.  Maybe he said the same thing of them, as he later said of Job, "You protect them.  That is why they obey You."  "They just have not been presented with a choice."   Hmmmmm ???

​Some nice thoughts here.  I believe the grace bought by Christ isn't something just of the past.  It's a bit difficult to express the idea, but yes, certainly, God did things through Christ during Christ's life here on earth of infinite cost to Himself (not to mention risk) to provide grace for us, but this grace has always been present; it's a part of His character.  The cross didn't create anything new about God, it just revealed what was already there.  And this grace continuous to be poured out.

I think it's a misconception that "justified" is a legal term (either only or primarily; in a secondary sense you can have that, but even there, it's quite a bit different than how we are accustomed to think of it; I'll try to flesh this out when I have time).  We have tended to read back into Paul (and elsewhere in Scripture) ideas that we have, but he didn't have.  This is a natural thing as we try to make relevant the Scripture for our time.  And this isn't to say there isn't value in that, but we also don't want to lose sight of what Paul was actually saying.

If you consider that issues that Paul was dealing with, they weren't legal matters.  His opponents were not making legal arguments against him; this wasn't anyone's concern back then.  Calvin, to a great degree, brought the "legalness" into the discussion.

If you liked this litter blurb of Waggoner's, there's a lot more one can find online.  The Glad Tidings is online, and especially Waggoner's take on Galatians 3 is great.  (I also liked Luther's work on Galatians).

 

[joeb]

8thdaypriest is correct in that Christ's life and death boght a grace period.  He was our ransom.  So much of this misunderstanding could be cleared up if people would only study the concept of ga'al in the Bible and what Ellen White has to say about the subject.  ga'al is the foundation of the plan of salvation.  Christ came here and lived and died to become human, for only a human could pay our ransom.  Only as a human being could He become the closest relative we have who could pay our debt--who could ransom us.   Christ purchased us.  We weren't "in Christ" in some metaphysical mumbo jumbo.  He became one of us so He could buy us back from the devil who overcome us through deciet and treachery.

 

Adam listened to the words of the tempter, and yielding to his insinuations, fell into sin. Why was not the death penalty at once enforced in his case?—Because a ransom was found. God’s only begotten Son volunteered to take the sin of man upon Himself, and to make an atonement for the fallen race. There could have been no pardon for sin had this atonement not been made. Had God pardoned Adam’s sin without an atonement, sin would have been immortalized, and would have been perpetuated with a boldness that would have been without restraint.—The Review and Herald, April 23, 1901.

The world does not acknowledge that, at an infinite cost, Christ has purchased the human race. They do not acknowledge that by creation and by redemption He holds a just claim to every human being. But as the Redeemer of the fallen race, He has been given the deed of possession, which entitles Him to claim them as His property.—Letter 136, 1902.

On the cross of Calvary He paid the redemption price of the race. And thus He gained the right to rescue the captives from the grasp of the great deceiver, who by a lie framed against the government of God, caused the fall of man, and who thus forfeited all claim to be called a loyal subject of God’s kingdom.  

Satan refused to let his captives go. He held them as his subjects because of their belief of his lie. He had thus become their jailor. But he had no right to demand that a price be paid for them; because he had not obtained possession of them by lawful conquest, but under false pretense.

God, being the creditor, had a right to make any provision for the redemption of human beings. Justice demanded that a certain price be paid. The Son of God was the only One who could pay this price. He volunteered to come to this earth and pass over the ground where Adam fell. He came as the Redeemer of the lost race, to conquer the wily foe, and by His steadfast allegiance to right, to save all who should accept Him as their
Saviour.—Letter 20, 1903.

Notice how these quotes refute Robert's and Samie's assertions.  God paid a price to redeem us, to ransom us back from the first terrorist.  The concept of ga'al completely eliminates the "in Christ" motif for it is basis of the plan of redemption.  Every mention of redemption, being redeemed, or Redeemer in both Testaments is translated directly from ga'al or from words meaning ransom or to purchase.  The link is so strong it cannot be ignored by an honest Bible student.  

 

[joeb]

​Some nice thoughts here.  I believe the grace bought by Christ isn't something just of the past.  It's a bit difficult to express the idea, but yes, certainly, God did things through Christ during Christ's life here on earth of infinite cost to Himself (not to mention risk) to provide grace for us, but this grace has always been present; it's a part of His character.  The cross didn't create anything new about God, it just revealed what was already there.  And this grace continuous to be poured out.

I think it's a misconception that "justified" is a legal term (either only or primarily; in a secondary sense you can have that, but even there, it's quite a bit different than how we are accustomed to think of it; I'll try to flesh this out when I have time).  We have tended to read back into Paul (and elsewhere in Scripture) ideas that we have, but he didn't have.  This is a natural thing as we try to make relevant the Scripture for our time.  And this isn't to say there isn't value in that, but we also don't want to lose sight of what Paul was actually saying.

If you consider that issues that Paul was dealing with, they weren't legal matters.  His opponents were not making legal arguments against him; this wasn't anyone's concern back then.  Calvin, to a great degree, brought the "legalness" into the discussion.

If you liked this litter blurb of Waggoner's, there's a lot more one can find online.  The Glad Tidings is online, and especially Waggoner's take on Galatians 3 is great.  (I also liked Luther's work on Galatians).

 

​This is absolutely true.  The only scriptures Paul had were the OT.  In it the concept of ga'al, that of ransoming a relative(paying their debt) is the only concept which describes the work of Jesus.  Do a serious word study on redeem, redeemed,  redemption, ransom, and Redeemer in the OT see the linkage between them ga'al.  I spent at least 4-5 hours a day for 3 months on this study and I came away from it with a greatly enhanced understanding of the plan of salvation.  This concept is found throughout the writings of Ellen White too.  Do word studies and see what you find.  I found several megabytes of quotes( many hundreds) linking the concept of ga'al to the plan of salvation. 

You will rarely hear this preached on or taught in depth, but a serious study of this will lead you to only place--ga'al is the legal underpinning of the entire plan of salvation. 

Edited May 6, 2015 by joeb

[joeb]

Here is one last quote from Ellen White on the reprieve the human race was given at the fall.

 

All that God and Christ could do has been done to save sinners. Transgression placed the whole world in jeopardy, under the death sentence. But in heaven there was heard a voice saying, I have found a ransom. Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, was made sin for fallen man. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Christ gave Himself as a ransom. He laid off His royal robe. He laid aside His kingly crown, and stepped down from His high command over all heaven, clothing His divinity with humanity that He might carry all the infirmities and bear all the temptations of humanity.—Letter 22, 1900.