Matthew 10:32-33
32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
The Grace New Testament Commentary - Matthew 10:32-33
10:32 Jesus then says, "whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven." Some conclude that these words teach that confession before others is necessary for a person to receive eternal life. If this were true, then eternal life would be by works. But the Scriptures teach that salvation is by grace through faith apart from human effort (Eph 2:8-9). Eternal life is received the moment one believes in Jesus. It is not a process, nor does it require any additional steps.
Furthermore John 12:36, 42-43 clearly state that many of the chief rulers who did not confess Christ openly nonetheless believed in Him. Hence John expects the reader to understand that these secret disciples were regenerate (cf. John 3:16).
The confession the apostles are to give is not a one-time verbal confession of their faith, but a life of confession in the face of severe persecution. Arrest, scourging, hatred, and possibly death awaited those who faithfully confessed Him, and Jesus wants them to know that such costly confession will not go unrecognized or unrewarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ (Rom 14:9-13: 1 Cor 3:10-15; 9:24-27: 2 Cor 5:9-10). If they testify of Him before others, He will testify about them before the "Father…in heaven." Christ's confession before the Father is that the faithful believer is worthy of the reward of reigning with Christ in the millennial and eternal kingdoms. He is worthy because he endured opposition in speaking up for Christ (cf. 2 Tim 2:12).
10:33 This verse raises a question similar to the one in v 32 but in the negative. Jesus does not mean that if a believer denies Him, he will lose eternal life, or prove he never had it in the first place. The best interpretation of this verse is that any believer who at the time of his death (or the Rapture) is denying Christ will be denied by the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The issue here is not a single act of failing to confess Christ but a continued enduring failure to identify oneself as a believer. To fail to endure in one's confession of Christ is to forfeit being announced as one who is fit to reign with Christ (cf. 2 Tim 2:12).
These words are directed primarily to the apostles, who are bearing a message about Christ. They are to take encouragement from the fact that even though their confession may be met with resistance, they will be acknowledged in heaven for their sacrificial service. They are also to realize that failure to faithfully confess Him will result in loss - not of salvation but of rewards. In this context a refusal to confess is synonymous with denial. One does not have to speak against Christ to deny Him; all he need do is fail to speak up for Him.
Charles Bing - Grace, Salvation, and Discipleship - Ashamed to Confess, Matthew 10:32-33; Mark 8:38 (cf. Luke 9:26; 12:8-9)
(Salvation) Interpretation: If a person does not confess Jesus publicly, he will be denied salvation, will prove he was never saved, or if saved, lose that salvation.
(Discipleship) Interpretation: If a Christian does not confess Jesus publicly or is ashamed of Him, that person will be denied the reward of Jesus' commendation before God the Father.
These passages have a similar theme: If someone denies the Lord Jesus or is ashamed of Him, he will be denied before God the Father and Jesus will be ashamed of him. These are tough words, so tough that many interpret them (Salvifically): Jesus will deny entrance into heaven and be ashamed in such a way that implies the person is unworthy of heaven.
Again, context is the key. In Matthew 10, Jesus is sending out His disciples with instructions and warnings about how they will be received and how they should not fear opposition. The warning of verses 32-33 about confessing (acknowledging) Jesus Christ could apply to those who hear the disciples' message, or it could apply to the disciples themselves, or it could be a principle that applies to both. Comparing Jesus' statement in Matthew with His similar statement in Luke 12:8-9, we find in both a common context about not fearing to speak to others about Christ. Though this could be a general principle, it certainly is addressed to the disciples first as both a warning and an encouragement.
In both Mark 8:38 and Luke 9:26, the statement is a warning without a corresponding encouragement. But this too is addressed to the disciples after Jesus tells them to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him in order to "save" their lives. As we saw earlier, these are (Discipleship passages). Jesus explains that believers have choices and those choices have their respective consequences. One can identify with the world, lose his life, and earn Christ's shame, or one can identify with Christ. Though Mark and Luke's accounts do not mention a reward other than that one's life will be saved, Matthew's version goes on to speak of rewards in Matthew 10:41-42. The parallel account in Matthew 16:24-27 ends with a promise that when Jesus Christ returns, "He will reward each according to his works." Jesus' confessing or denying a confession and being ashamed are issues of rewards deserved by believers.
The negative "reward" (from misthos, which can also mean recompense, payment) for those who deny their identification with Christ or are ashamed of Him is that Jesus will not confess (acknowledge) them before the Father, or similarly, will be ashamed of them before the Father. Since this is in the context of (Discipleship), what does this mean? Since Jesus Christ's confession of someone before the Father is an acknowledgment of his or her faithfulness in identifying with Him, the negative of that is Jesus will withhold acknowledgment of that person. He will be ashamed in the sense of refusing to acknowledge him or her with a commendation before the Father.
That this is a consequence experienced only by Christians makes sense. It is no motivation to an unbeliever who rejects Christ not to be confessed before the Father or for Christ to be ashamed. In light of his decision to have nothing to do with Jesus Christ, what would he or she care? But to those who have a relationship with Jesus Christ, to earn a word of approval or disapproval, or to make Christ ashamed would have a great motivating impact. The believer knows the love of God and the sacrifice Jesus has made for him by dying on the cross. Disapproval and shame assume a degree of relationship. For example, imagine a boy misbehaving in a shopping mall. While others walk by nonplussed, one man's face is flushed with embarrassment and his head is lowered in shame. That is the boy's father. The son disappointed his father's expectations.
Our Savior's approval or disapproval of our conduct and choices should be a motivation to us who are children of a Heavenly Father. In the end, it is the only approval that really matters. Publicly identifying with Jesus Christ may or may not win approval from others in this world, but either way, the effect is temporary. God's approval is eternal.
Thomas Constable's Expository Notes on the Bible - Matthew 10:32-33
10:32-33 Disciples of Jesus must acknowledge Him publicly. One cannot fulfill the basic requirements of being a disciple privately (cf. Matthew 5:13-16). Again, the terms "believer" and "disciple" are not synonymous. In the context, confessing Jesus means acknowledging Him faithfully in spite of pressure to do otherwise. Jesus will acknowledge faithful disciples as such to His Father. He will not give this reward to unfaithful disciples who cave in to pressure to deny Him. Obviously, He believed it is possible for believers to be unfaithful. It is possible to deny Jesus with our words, our silence, or our actions.
Notice that the blessing of Jesus' commendation will go to anyone ("everyone," i.e., any disciple) who confesses Him publicly. Jesus probably looked at the whole course of the disciple's life as He made this statement. One act of unfaithfulness does not disqualify a disciple from Jesus' commendation (e.g., Peter's failure in the courtyard of the high priest). An example of Jesus confessing a faithful disciple before others is His testimony concerning John the Baptist's greatness (Matthew 11:11; Luke 7:28).
The view that this passage teaches that a believer may lose his or her salvation - if he or she fails to confess, or denies Jesus - cannot be correct. Elsewhere Jesus taught that believers will never lose their salvation (cf. John 10:28-29). This is the consistent revelation of the rest of the New Testament (e.g., Rom. 8:31-39; et al.). Jesus was speaking here of rewards for the faithful, not salvation for the lost.