Untitled Sermon (6)

In 10:32-35, the author drew attention to the suffering that at least some in the audience had experienced in the past:

Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when

you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering... So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded ().

Here we see that the author praised his audience for their strength when they were persecuted in “those earlier days after [they] had [first] received the light.” But he also encouraged them not to “throw away [their] confidence.” The Greek term translated “confidence” here is parrēsia, which in many contexts means “courage,” “boldness,” or