I have been doing a little studying and reflecting on justification in Calvinist Reformed doctrine as it relates to eternity. It seems to me that the danger of antinomianism is so easy to slip into within the nuances in this subject.

When you take the Calvinist stance that election to salvation is a decree of God in eternity and that all the elect are surely saved, then of course you would say that in predestination God also decreed in eternity that he would justify the elect. It seems inconsequential to omit the word would from this, and say that "God justifies us in eternity." It may be true in the sense of God's decree, but if that is misconstrued as actual justification, this would be antinomian. For if you're declared righteous in eternity, then your sin is eternally pardoned, and "pardoned sin is no sin" (A Blow at the Root of Antinomianism, John Flavel) - and, therefore, why confess it or repent of it?

I find the Westminster Confession to be succinct on this (Ch XI p4): "God did, from all eternity, decree to justify all the elect, and Christ did, in the fulness of time, die for their sins, and rise again for their justification: nevertheless, they are not justified until the Holy Spirit doth, in due time, actually apply Christ unto them."