Hebrews 10:35Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Having praised them, he then says: "Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward." What are you saying? He did not say, "You have lost your boldness; acquire it again," lest they fall into despair. Instead he says, "You have it; do not lose it." By this he encourages them more strongly and gives them strength.

You have boldness, he says, so as to acquire again what was lost. Greater labor is needed for that, while not losing what one has is not so hard.

To the Galatians he writes differently: "My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you" (Gal 4:19). And rightly so. They were negligent, so they needed more reproving speech. These showed some faintheartedness, so they needed a more condescending word.

"Therefore do not cast away your confidence." By the words "do not cast away" he shows that they had not yet fallen away, yet they needed strengthening and protection. He said "confidence" because those who had endured so much with patience for God's sake possessed great boldness. "Which has great reward." For you are confessors, who judged it better to have your possession in heaven.

Therefore, see that you do not deprive yourselves of that confidence which, I think, you have made your own. For you know that a great reward is set before it.

"Therefore do not cast away your confidence." For through victory you have gained great boldness. The Apostle also points to the rewards for the contests: "which has great reward." He also teaches how these rewards may be obtained.

"Therefore do not cast away your confidence," the confidence which you have had until now. Not only should you not be ashamed of that for which you suffer reproach, but on the contrary, with boldness preach piety. "Which has great reward," that is, at the time of recompense, the Last Judgment. Or it may be understood otherwise: "confidence" before Christ, which they acquired for themselves by enduring everything for His sake. Since the Apostle saw that they were becoming despondent because of continuing temptations, he added:

Do not cast away your hope, which is shown in your works, faith, temptations, and steadfastness. For all this gives us great confidence that what has been promised will be granted to us. The will of God is to believe in Him sincerely and to perform works of virtue, and, when the time calls, to struggle for them even to blood (Heb 12:4). For such people will receive what has been promised.

Christian courage and patience are very useful to have at the present time, because the day of Christ's coming and of recompense to each according to his works is already not far off.

The prophet Habakkuk also said that the righteous shall live by faith, and that if he does not stand firm in the struggle, God will have no pleasure in him. Nevertheless, the Apostle comforts his readers: we do not belong to such unstable people, but believe firmly, so that we may hope for the salvation of our soul.