I think GC's explanation of this is fine regarding this (i.e. Jesus' earning the right to save).

I don't know how you'd want me to respond to passages. Perhaps you could quote one or two of them and comment, and I could respond to that.

Never mind, thank you anyhow.

Ok, but, in the future, please don't post a whole bunch of texts and ask me to comment on them. Make some point about some text, and I'll comment on your point.

Yeah, I have trouble appreciating your unwillingness to address the abundant testimony that exists on a particular subject. For example, the passages I've posted on this thread clearly teach Jesus earned the legal right to pardon and save sinners.

None of the passages you speak of a "legal right" to pardon. Only you mention "legal."

I was curious to see if Ellen White ever used this phrase, and she did. In the context of marriage and divorce.

I think GC's explanation makes sense.

Tom, do you think you and GC see eye to eye on the penal substitution aspect of Jesus' death? That is, do you think he agrees with your version of it? Let me see if I can accurately summarize your version:

Jesus died to demonstrate the self-sacrificing love of God to motivate and influence sinners to love and obey God. He did not also have to die because law and justice require punishment and death in consequence of sin. Jesus' punishment and death does not counts as our punishment and death, at least not in this sense we are no longer required to suffer and die to pay for our sins.

I was just commenting on what he said about Christ's earning the right to pardon. If he holds a similar view in relation to God (i.e., that the logic involved in regards to Christ's earning the right for God to be able to pardon) it would seem to me inevitable that we would have similarities in our view.

I liked the points he made about love and law. I've said very similar things in the past. I think he's looking at things the right way, using that post he wrote discussing law/love as a basis for saying so.

Do you think these insights are inconsistent with the view I hold to, namely, that the death penalty for pardoned sins cannot be annulled merely because we cease sinning, that Jesus had to die on our behalf and in our place (in addition to the other reasons you advocate) because law and justice require death for sin, that death must happen in consequence of sin regardless if we cease sinning?

This can be interpreted in several ways, so I won't comment on this, but I will say I think it's consistent with what you've said about Jesus having to earn the right to legally pardon us, or for Him to do so in order for God to be able to legally pardon.

Ellen is pretty clear here that, yes, Jesus had to earn the right to pardon and save us.