Looking deeper, we find a few more questions that arise from the concept of legal justification. What is this "life" we possess; what is the source of our present animated, conscious state? To answer these questions we must consider what happens to individuals when they cease to live and breathe.
As the Scriptures teach us, no one is really "dead" [5] just asleep in the grave awaiting the resurrection, whether to eternal life or total annihilation at the end of the millennium (Revelation 20:12-15). Thus, even the wicked who are lost and are now sleeping in their graves, are being restrained from absolute non-existence through the power of Christ's life. Therefore, just as the righteous who are asleep in their graves are "in Christ" so must the wicked be. The only reason the wicked are destroyed after the millennium is that they have persistently demonstrated their unbelief in the free gift of eternal life. In unbelief, they have thrown away their birthright possession and no place is found in heaven and earth for them any more.
A.T. Jones addressed this point at the 1895 General Conference session:
The question is, Does the second Adam's righteousness embrace as many as does the first Adam’s sin? Look closely. Without our consent at all, without our having anything to do with it, we were all included in the first Adam; we were there. All the human race were in the first Adam. What that first Adam, what that first man, did, meant us; it involved us. That which the first Adam did brought us into sin, and the end of sin is death; and that touches every one of us, and involves every one of us.
Jesus Christ, the second man, took our sinful nature. He touched us "in all points." He became we and died the death. And so in Him, and by that, every man that has ever lived upon the earth, and was involved in the first Adam, is involved in this, and will live again. There will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and of the unjust. Every soul shall live again by the second Adam from the death that came by the first Adam. (for full discussion see: 1895 General Conference Bulletin, pp. 268-269).
Above we read that Ellen White stated (just as the Bible teaches) that Christ gave His life for mankind. This must be understood as being greater than merely making a sacrifice on Calvary's cross (wonderfully great as that act was!). If the giving of His life was "merely" making a sacrifice "instead of" me paying the price, then the act has nothing much to do with me (as the Universalists believe). It took place at a particular time in history, but that was a long time ago, and is rather irrelevant to me as my life is lived today. By illustration: just as many legal declarations have been made in this great land of ours, most have little relevance to me in my day to day affairs.
However, He gave His life. Christ has only one life, and that is eternal life. He willingly exchanged His eternal life for our death sentence, which is annihilation — total non-existence, the "second death." Thus in giving up His life on the cross, in giving His eternal life for us (or rather, AS us) — He exchanged His life of righteousness for our life of sin and death. Christ's is a life uncondemned by the Law, and therefore possessing the implicit right to live eternally.
Standing before the Law, Christ represents humanity in two ways: He is corporate humanity as the Last Adam dying on Calvary as the human race’s legal proxy (according to the everlasting covenant). All humanity were "in Christ" as He died on Calvary. He also individually represents us as our personal Advocate before the Law through our by faith in His work (His high priestly ministry; Hebrews 10:10-22; Desire of Ages, p. 113). In Christ we are not only declared righteous by that single act on Calvary (legally justified before the Law that condemned us), but also we have been given eternal life by that same act (though under a probationary stipulation). "Therefore we know that Christ Himself is given to every one of us. The fact that men live is an evidence that Christ has been given to them, for Christ is the 'life,' and the 'life' is 'the light of men.'" (Glad Tidings, p. 11; also see 1 John 5:10-13; John 1:4, 9; 14:6).
There is only one Life, and all that live do so by the grace of that Life being extended to us as a gift. The revealing to mankind of the Godhead's covenant promise was done in Eden (Genesis. 3:15). The ratification of the Godhead's covenant promise was accomplished at Calvary. It was Christ's life that was extended to Adam in Eden at the moment he rebelled against God (when he should have died eternally according to Genesis 2:17 and Isaiah 59:2; being separated from God is to be without life). When Adam was created, he was given eternal life contingent upon his obedience concerning the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Therefore, when Christ "stepped between the living and the dead," Adam was restored to his previous state of eternal life (though receiving it as a second probation). When Adam died 930 years later he didn't do anything except "fall asleep" in Christ, and when he is finally resurrected, Adam will go on living the life he had before he died, but in a new, incorruptible body. His next breath and thought will take up right where it left off when he fell asleep in Christ. [6]
What we're dealing with when discussing "forensic justification" and "temporal benefits" is much, much more than food and water and air to breathe. It is eternal life. We can believe that we have been given eternal life, appreciate the gift and through faith in God's power over Satan and sin, cultivate righteousness by faith in our probationary status here and now. Then we will go on living that same eternal life in the New Earth either after resurrection or translation. Or, we can disbelieve this "message of mercy" of God's redeeming love, throw that eternal life away, and die in the flames of hell, which was only "prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41). It's our choice. |
