It is claimed that "The doctrine of eternal justification is dealt a crushing blow by the Puritan John Flavel." This is far from the truth. Either Flavel failed to understand the doctrine of justification, or else he was responding to an aberrant view of it. But he in no way, shape, or form "dealt a crushing blow" to it. Flavel argues that it is irrational to image that men can be justified
before they exist. Apply that argument to every Old Testament saint. How
can Abraham be justified by faith before the object of that faith
existed and before the act that would justify him had been completed?
Flavel's six "errors" reveal his ignorance and complete misunderstanding
on these issues. Hyper-Calvinists take these biblical truths to
ridiculous extremes, such as claiming that Christians do not need to
confess sin or pray for its forgiveness. It is one thing to respond to
such extremes as this, but it is quite another to deny biblical truths
and realities in so doing.
Having only recently encountered the term, and having sat down and thought of it from a biblical standpoint, I will present my understanding thereof in connection with biblical teachings.
There are two ways in which to view this, both of which are absolutely true. Let us start with the second one first. When a Christian is justified, he/she is eternally justified. In other words, he/she cannot lose or forfeit their salvation. They are forgiven their sins and their sins are removed from them as far as the east is from the west, and for all eternity. Ergo, eternal justification. But what about the second way to view this?
"He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world" Ephesians 1:4
"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me" John 6:37a
Before God embarked upon creation, He had already given a people to Jesus as an inheritance. The giving precedes the coming, and those given will come to Christ in their appointed time. Time had to catch up with each person and reveal God's gift in its perfect time.
"All who dwell upon the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the book of life of the Lamb having been slain from the foundation of the world." Revelation 13:8
The "from the foundation of the world" does not belong to "whose names have not been written," as the NASB and ESV render it, but to "the Lamb having been slain." This is not teaching that Jesus was literally and physically crucified before God embarked upon creation, but that it was already considered a done deed. Take a moment to think about it. Jesus was crucified in A.D. 30. How could Jesus redeem His people with His blood if He had not shed it yet? How do you deal with all those believers from the Old Testament? You will answer, "They were looking forward in time to the day Christ would atone for them with His blood." Correct! If you have an answer for this, why do you not have an answer for His having been slain from the foundation of the world? The same principle applies. Before the foundations of creation were laid, Jesus had redeemed with His blood those whom the Father had given Him. Time had to catch up to this event and reveal it. But those under the Old Testament were already covered by His blood.
"For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified." Romans 8:29-30
This verse applies to before the foundations of creation were laid. Those whom God the Father chose in Christ and gave to Him as an inheritance, He predestined that they would be conformed to the likeness of His Son. Because He predestined them, He also called them. Because He called them, He also justified them. Because He justified them, He also glorified them. All of this is already a done deal for the Christian. It does not happen in steps! Time had to wait to reveal my calling, but I was called in Christ before God had ever laid the foundations of creation. While glorification will not be revealed until the Second Coming, nevertheless I am already glorified. All these things happened at the same time! You cannot be called and not also be justified and glorified. If you were called, you were also justified, sanctified, and glorified. Whichever point in time you want to view it (my conversion, Christ's sacrifice on the cross, or eternity past), I was also justified. Ergo, from before the foundations of creation, I was eternally justified.
This is the biblical view of eternal justification. If individuals are teaching that eternal justification means that my sin is no longer sin and therefore I have never committed sin because I was forgiven from the past, then their teaching is an aberrant and heretical teaching. Yes, from the moment God the Father gave me to Christ as an inheritance, I was already forgiven having been purchased by His blood. But time had to reveal Christ's shedding of His blood and it had to reveal my sin for which I required forgiveness, and it had to reveal my coming to Christ and being converted.
We need to remember that there are two vantage points with which we are looking at things. There is God's vantage point, and our vantage point. You cannot confuse the two! From God's vantage point, everything is already an accomplished reality. Being outside of time, He sees my being given to Christ, Christ's sacrifice on the cross, and my coming to Christ simultaneously. But from the vantage point of time, it took thousands of years for Christ to shed His blood and then another 2,000 years for me to come to Christ and be born again. You cannot confuse vantage points, nor can you ignore clear realities and truths of Scripture. Scripture says that all men are sinners and that all men commit sin. Ergo, you are a sinner, whether you like it or not, and whether you want to admit it or not. Having been chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, having been given to Christ by God the Father, and having been called, justified, sanctified, and glorified from eternity past does not eliminate the events of time. It is just like Abraham looking forward in time to when Christ would pay for his sins.
I realize that thinking from the view of eternity is difficult for many. I mean, they have enough trouble already trying to think from the view of the present, let alone getting theologically deep on them. Most people cannot handle thinking of the meat because they are still trying to digest the pablum.
Whether you want to start from creation, the cross, or your conversion, the moment you were justified, you were eternally justified. It is imperative that you learn how to understand vantage points in order to avoid aberrant theology. No doubt you look at your conversion as the point of your being redeemed and justified. But Christ Jesus redeemed you at the cross. He is not slain again each time a new believer comes to Christ. He was slain once for all and once for all time. If you can understand this, then you merely need to take it a step further. This was all decided and put into place in eternity past before the foundations of the world were laid. Most people seem to be like robots in movies who try to compute something only to end up frying their own circuits. It is a simple thing to understand, but most people cannot seem to process it.
You who think that those who hold to eternal justification have an error, I suggest you make sure you understand what they mean by the term before trying to attack it, and then realize that it is you who have the greater error by denying the biblical truth of it. If you wish to discuss this further, feel free to contact me.