I don’t think he said saved before believed. I think he means in the sense that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. The work of reconciliation was accomplished at the cross, the message of reconciliation is preached, and those who believe receive the benefits of the work that Christ accomplished at the cross.
In the same way, the sin debt of ours was paid at the cross. Remission of sins is preached. Those who believe receive the benefits of the work that Christ did at the cross
But no. I don’t believe we are justified before we believe. That is not what Calvinism teaches.
I have told "throughfaith" many times that I have never read any of Calvin's writings, and consult only the scriptures in gleaning the truth, because scriptures prove scripture.
Christ's death on the cross was a sacrifice to God, for God's acceptance, and not for man's acceptance. After the sacrifice of Christ, God looks upon those that he died for, which consists of those that God gave him, and not the whole world of mankind, as holy, and without blame, as far as our eternal inheritance is concerned, even calling them kings and priests. and saying that there would be no more sacrifice for sin, and also saying it is finished.
What is your explanation, with scripture, in saying that man has to receive Christ's work on the cross, before our sins are forgiven?
You will never accept my interpretation of the scriptures, until you understand what salvation means according to the Greek interpretation, which means "a deliverance". There is an eternal deliverance, and there is a deliverance that the regenerated man receives as he sojourns here in this world.
There are more salvation scriptures that have reference to our deliverances that we receive here in this world, than there are that pertain to our eternal deliverance.
Most of God's well intended regenerated children fail to make the distinction between the different deliverances, and group them all as eternal deliverances, which tends to make them think that they have to do something in order to receive eternal deliverance.
Believing, accepting, and such other actions on man's part has to be categorized as "eternal salvation (deliverance) by good works."
2 Tim 2:13, If we believe not, yet he (Jesus) abideth faithful, he cannot deny himself.