“Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.”
Matthew 10:32 — Greek Interlinear
Church Fathers on Matthew 10:32
The Lord having banished that fear which haunted the minds of His disciples, adds further comfort in what follows, not only casting out fear, but by hope of greater rewards encouraging them to a free proclamation of the truth, saying, 'Every man who shall confess me before men, I also will confess him before my Father which is in heaven.' And it is not properly 'shall confess me,' but as it is in the Greek, 'shall confess in me,' shewing that it is not by your own strength…
This He says in conclusion, because it behoves them after being confirmed by such teaching, to have a confident freedom in confessing God.
Here is to be understood that confession of which the Apostle speaks, 'With the heart men believe unto justification, with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.' [Rom 10:10] That none therefore might suppose that he could be saved without confession of the mouth, He says not only, 'He that shall confess me,' but adds, 'before me;' and again, 'He that shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.'