Hebrews 6:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Since he could not praise them much for present deeds, he draws consolation from past deeds and says, "For God is not unjust, that He should forget your work and labor of love which you showed toward His name, in having ministered and still ministering to the saints."

O, how he encouraged and strengthened their souls by recalling their former deeds and presenting the necessity of hoping that God had not forgotten their struggles!

Truly, whoever is not convinced of God's justice, and that He will repay each according to the merits of this present life, inevitably sins and says that God is unjust.

Therefore he impressed on them the need to hope fully for the future reward.

One who despairs in the present and grows faint-hearted can be encouraged by the future.

"For God is not unjust, that He should forget your work." See how he encouraged and strengthened them in hope for better things by reminding them of their former works and of God's righteousness.

If God is just, He will not forget your work, that is, your mercy and brotherly love, but will reward you.

Therefore do not despair, but hope fully for better things, since God is perfectly just.

Thus I did not say harsh things about you. For I know that you are not worthy of a curse.

"And the labor of love which you showed toward His name, in having ministered and still ministering to the saints."

He gives a weighty testimony about them, pointing not only to works, but to works done with zeal. For ministering is a sign of zeal.

For God is not unjust, that He should forget your work, that is, your almsgiving, and the love which you have for the holy poor who are in Jerusalem.

"For God is not unjust, that He should forget your work," that is, your good work, of course. On the contrary, for this reason He will save all, provided only that you yourselves do not remove salvation from yourselves. "And the labor of love which you showed," that is, toward the brethren. "In His name, having ministered to the saints, and still ministering." In the name of Christ you ministered to the believers and continue to minister to their needs. He said this of the more prosperous, who were able to distribute from their possessions and truly supplied necessities to the poorer.

"God is not unjust, that He should forget your work." Hardening or sudden blindness is permitted by God because of man's own fault. On the contrary, He guards His faithful servants so that they may not fall into temptation or fall away from the faith. At the same time, the Lord does not forget even the modest merits and virtues of those who waver.

Nevertheless, concerning the Hebrews to whom he writes the epistle, the Apostle hopes "that they are in a better state, though he speaks thus." Therefore he invites them to labor patiently for their salvation, like Abraham, who "after long patience obtained the promise" given to him by God with an oath (Heb 6:9-15).

But lest he strike his readers too hard by depicting the terrible consequences of falling away, the Apostle considers it necessary to explain that he does not regard them as already fallen and lost.

God is just and will not forget to help those who have done much good in His name.

The Apostle only desires that each of them cultivate hope as firm as their Christian love had formerly been strong.

They must not grow weak in Christian hope. Rather, they must imitate those fellow Christians who, for their faith and steadfastness in sufferings, receive what was promised to them.