Many today are asking, "Just what is 'legal justification' and why it is important? Why is it receiving so much discussion both at the church theological level and in the pews?" In this study we shall investigate the revolutionary good news as it was presented to the leadership of the church at the 1888 Minneapolis General Conference by A.T. Jones and E.J. Waggoner. Legal justification (also called "forensic" justification) is far more encompassing than most people have realized. It is a life-changing message that will turn the world upside down when it is freely proclaimed.
Since before the Protestant Reformation, thinking men and women have been discussing the vital question regarding the benefits of the sacrifice of Christ. What are these benefits? Who receives of these benefits and when are these benefits received -- i.e. when is the individual justified? Are the benefits of the sacrifice extended only to the "elect of God" or did the sacrifice of Christ do something for the whole world ("elect" and "non-elect" alike)? Is legal justification merely the assignment of certain temporal benefits (as limited to the realm of this sin-cursed earth) that apply to everyone regardless of their individual submission and sustained commitment to God?[1]
Or did the sacrifice of Christ do something far greater for the whole world? What was indemnified through the sacrifice of Christ, and was it a full indemnity?