In Romans 8:35 the phrase “Love of Christ” does not refer to our love for Christ, but His love for us. The love of Christ is eternal, for it was that love which moved Him to leave Heaven’s throne and come down to this earth to provide redemption for us. If a person who professes Christ turns their back on God or lives persistently in sin, they prove that they never belonged to Christ at all. Such people have not lost their salvation, rather they never had it. Only the true believer is able to persevere through difficulties and trials, because they are made strong through the power of the indwelling presence of God, and understand that this trial is designed for a twofold purpose: One to mold them into the image of Christ, and Two, to enable them to display the power of God in their lives to the world. Because our Lord both saves and keeps us, we do much more than simply endure and survive the circumstances Paul mentions in Verse 35, but we are able to overcome in through the Power of God.