Do Not Cast Away Your Confidence Gary L. Grizzell

Children of God are encouraged to be faithful to God with the following words: "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward" (Hebrews 10:35). Here is a warning from God's Word: Confidence in one's salvation can be cast away! Believing that there is a "great recompence of reward" will spur us on toward heaven. "For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end" (Hebrews 3:14). While looking backward to our beginning is a motivator to our confidence that we are in a saved relationship with God (Romans 6:3-4), likewise, looking forward to eternal life with God is a strong motivator! Don't be sidetracked by the temporal! Priority should be with the eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). What is that "great recompence of reward"? Answer: Eternal life with our loving Creator. This eternal life is not just duration of time but qualitative life. Heaven holds no tears, no sorrow, no sin and no death (Revelation 21:1-8). This life is ours if we cast not away our salvation in Christ. In understanding the expression "cast... away" it helps to know that the immediate context is Hebrews 10:32-39. "Cast away" means "to throw off" (Strong's). To "cast away" or "to throw off" is accomplished by choice. The word is used only here and in one other place in the New Testament. The same Greek word is found in Mark 10:50, where the Bible states concerning Bartimaeus: "And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus." The context of this statement is Mark 10:46-52. A blind man at Jericho whose name was Bartimaeus sat by the highway begging. When he heard that Jesus was present among the people, he made a lot of noise! He cried, "Have mercy on me!" Many told him to shut up. This only encouraged him to make more noise. His cry for help brought the compassionate Jesus to a stand still! Jesus told others to go tell Bartimaeus to come to him. They did this, telling him to be comforted, rise and go to Jesus in that He had called for him to come. Are we comforted that Jesus calls us to receive spiritual sight? Do we come as quickly as this man when we learn of His call through the gospel? Bartimaeus is an example to us. Responding by both choice and an obedient faith the man went to Jesus. Incidentally, he is seen "casting away his garment," rising and going to Jesus. When coming into the presence of Chist the Lord asked him what he wanted for himself. He asked the Lord to give him his sight. So, in this text these things happened: The Lord commended him for his faith. His obedient faith made him whole. Jesus promised him the miracle he desired. Jesus told him to "Go thy way," implying that he was to receive his request quickly. The miracle came immediately and with completeness. Bartimaeus, after receiving his sight, "followed Jesus in the way." This indicates he followed the Lord with gratitude. We do not see in him the attitude of, "Do I have to follow you, Lord?" Again, his attitude was not, "How little effort do I have to put forth in following you? Today, how much more gratitude we should have in our desire to follow Christ in that we know He has healed our spiritual blindness and given us spiritual sight? Note the ease with which the blind man cast away his garment — probably his cloak. Note the application of this study of the term "cast away." It is possible to cast away — throw off — one's faith as a man throws off his garment. For Bartimaeus throwing off his garment so he could travel faster in going to Jesus was an optional matter. However, today, throwing off one's faith is not an optional matter. That is, it is not an optional matter if one truly wants to follow Jesus acceptably, showing gratitude to Him. Therefore, learning of the ease with which casting away happens, let us be watchful. "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).

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