What does Hebrews 10:32 mean?

The last several verses constitute the harshest warning given in the book of Hebrews. In other passages, the writer pointed out how Israel suffered punishment for her faithless disobedience (Hebrews 3:12–19). This was applied to the life of the Christian as advice not to risk the wrath of God as a result of similar failure (Hebrews 6:1–6). That caution also included a reference to fire, often used as a symbol of God's judgment (Hebrews 6:7–8). In more recent verses, the writer strongly warned against "willful" sin in the life of a Christian, since those with greater spiritual knowledge would be held all the more accountable by God (Hebrews 10:26–29).

Here, however, the tone shifts towards something more encouraging. A major theme of this letter has been the need to "hold fast" during struggles and hardships. The original audience of this work was the large number of persecuted Jewish Christians of the early church. Most of them, if not all of them, had already experienced some level of hardship for the sake of their faith. The writer is encouraging them to look back on their prior victories, where they were able to "hold fast," as motivation that they can continue to do so. This follows in the same sense as the writer's earlier words of support and praise (Hebrews 6:9–12).