Could someone who believes they can lose their salvation (I just lost it at the store a couple days ago...) answer this?
WHY does it say HATH eternal life. PRESENT TENSE? Why does it say that, if we dont even know if we have it until we go to the other side and see where Jesus puts us in?
Btw if I believed like that ^ I would stop being a christian immediately. Because im not going to waste my life here GAMBLING my salvation to see if I did good enough to earn it, only to then not make the cut in the end.
I believe you need to KNOW present tense that you're saved. Right now. Not gamble and wait and see
That is why the BOOK OF 1 JOHN was written:
1 John 2:3 (NRSV)
3 Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments.
That does not MEAN PERFECTION, the verb OBEY is in the GREEK Present Tense, implying an on going Lifestyle of obeying or keeping HIS commandments. In other words it is saying IF WE KEEP ON STRIVING TO OBEY OR KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS, THEN WE CAN KNOW FOR SURE WE KNOW HIM.
Here is another:
1 John 2:5 (NRSV)
5 but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him:
also look for assurance in these verses:
1 John 3:14-19 (NRSV)
14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death.
15 All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them.
16 We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.
17 How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?
18 Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.
19 And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him