Can a Christian lose salvation?

That's you. Where is me?

Ok. I'm not trying to trick you. I'll work with what you say.

So, are the ones who are like Christ from 1 John 4:17 the same as those in the Matt 24 verses you cited who endure to the end?

Ok. I'm not trying to trick you. I'll work with what you say.
So, are the ones who are like Christ from 1 John 4:17 the same as those in the Matt 24 verses you cited who endure to the end?

I'll take your word for it.



Yes I think so. I know the context of Matthew 24 is about eschatology, but if we limit the love mentioned in verses 12 & 13 only to end times then we must assume the position that we aren't required to endure in love to the end to be saved.

Actually, the love of others is required for salvation; that's what I see in 1 John. It's the mark of someone truly born of God. Not saying it's going to be super easy or anything. I will honestly admit some people have really made me angry enough to hate them, at least temporarily, but that was a sin. I repented.

The little guy kinda looks like a bunny wabbit and is actually out-running the roo. That must be you

Admittedly, I am slowing down with age...

Pretty soon, I will look like this:

In my youth, I was more like this:

Awesome. So, how does someone become like the person mentioned in 1 John 4:17? How do we become like Jesus?

The answer is found in the preceding v.16
And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

17In this way, love has been perfected among us, so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment; for in this world we are just like Him.

That is, Jesus abides in God and God in him, knowing and believing the love that God has for Him, and that is how someone becomes just like Him.

Is there any time that you can think of, after you've fully realized God's love for you, that you'd ever believe that He stopped loving you?

I appreciate the answer. But I was looking more for the actual outworking of it. In other words, what is the activity that leads to our transformation. Using the language from your text, what does it look like to abide in love?
To answer your question, I haven't figured out the full extent of God's love for me but what I know of it sure is great.

To be perfected in love is to possess perfect love. Does that necessarily mean that we love perfectly? Not yet anyway, but that we've received it for ourselves first and foremost and, since perfect love cast out fear, we may have confidence on the day of judgment

And how does God communicate this perfect love to us? How do we come to possess it?

God set us free from the Law of sin and death by the offering of His Son. We've only to believe as Jesus said, "It is finished."

If it's not too great an imposition, could you read 2 Corinthians 3:18 and share your thoughts on what you believe God is teaching?

2Cor3:18
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Today, I was thinking of what being made "in God's image" meant exactly, and my first thought was that an image of someone is not actually that someone. For example, the reflection in a pool of water will disappear if the water evaporates. So, following this thought, our "faces all reflect the glory of the Lord," unveiled, whereas Moses' face reflected the glory of the Law (and please correct me if I am wrong there) and veiled his face (I believe because it was fading more than "too bright" to look upon but that might be debatable).
So how do we have 'unveiled' faces? Well, let start with Moses' example of a shining face, before progressing with the law faded it. I mean, no sooner than he carried the tablets halfway down the mountain, he shattered them in anger with his brother(s). I suppose that dimmed the light at least a little bit. Could we then figure that just as he, and everyone else, digressed in the Law, we likewise progress in what I will now call to differentiate the OT of Moses from the NT of the "Lord's Proclamation" that we are set free? And so, we then, "are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which come from the Lord, who is the Spirit (of that perfect love which Moses struggled with and so was not permitted to enter into the promised land).

I'll stop there, hoping I've adequately fulfilled your request.

Awesome. So, how does someone become like the person mentioned in 1 John 4:17? How do we become like Jesus?

You have gone above and beyond. I appreciate you taking the time to answer so thoroughly.

It was my pleasure to be given the opportunity to share, thank you.
It felt like I was leaving something out and remembered that I wanted to answer the rhetorical question I posed, "how do we have unveiled faces?"
By not pretending that we can keep the law perfectly and (what's the opposite of pretending?) that God loves us perfectly in spite of that.

What was the transforming part all about?

Sorry, in trying to keep my posts short, I leave out things that I think of after clicking 'enter,' and in this case was the transforming part.
...By not pretending that we can keep the law perfectly and (what's the opposite of pretending?) that God loves us perfectly in spite of that, and we reflect that Spirit with intensifying glory, from glory to glory until...we shall see Him face to face.

Do you believe we can spiritually enter God's presence?

There's a teaching about "the place" and how Jesus fulfills the requirement that allows us entry. However, I don't know it, the teaching, well enough to teach it myself though I believed it when I heard it. Something to do with "the place" and "the presence" being synonymous. I believe it may have been, and likely was, a Hebrew word study that showed the connection.

John 14:3
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going.”
The Way, the Truth, and the Life