{"id":1378,"date":"2010-12-22T01:03:17","date_gmt":"2010-12-22T01:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2010\/12\/good-will-toward-whom-all-or-only-those-with-whom-god-is-pleased.html"},"modified":"2010-12-22T01:03:17","modified_gmt":"2010-12-22T01:03:17","slug":"good-will-toward-whom-all-or-only-those-with-whom-god-is-pleased","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/12\/good-will-toward-whom-all-or-only-those-with-whom-god-is-pleased.html","title":{"rendered":"Good Will Toward Whom? All? Or Only Those With Whom God is Pleased?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cathy Lynn Grossman, religion writer for USA Today, raises an intriguing issue in her blog, Faith & Reason<\/i>. In her post, “Christmas cards wish good will toward (mostly) all,”<\/a> Grossman notes that some Christmas cards offer peace and goodwill, following the class King James Version of Luke 2:14: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” <\/p>\n

But many modern translations appear to limit God’s good will, according to Grossman. The Holman Standard Bible reads, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors!” The NIV follows suit with “peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (Photo: Govert Flinck, “Angels Announcing the Birth of Christ to the Shepherds,” 1639) <\/p>\n

\"flinck-angels-shepherds-5.jpg\"<\/form>\n

In fact, every modern translation of which I am aware appears to limit good will to those who please God, not to all people. Even The Message<\/i> reads, “Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.” <\/p>\n

What’s going on here? Are today’s Christians stingy with God’s good will? Are we becoming like the early Ebenezer Scrooge, wanting to hoard all the grace for ourselves?<\/p>\n

No, Bible translators are not becoming more hardhearted and less gracious. They are becoming more exact in their effort to faithfully translate the Greek of the New Testament into today’s English, even if this appears less gracious at first. The situation of Luke 2:14 is a complicated one. The oldest and most accurate manuscripts of the Greek New Testament use a form of eudokia<\/i> (“good will” or “good pleasure”) that cannot be the subject of the phrase. The translation “good will toward men” rests on some late manuscripts that use another form of eudokia<\/i>. It appears that the copyists of the New Testament manuscripts were attempting to make sense of a difficult phrase in Greek. But recent research has shown that this phrase reflects a Jewish theological understanding of God’s good pleasure. Thus, based on the best textual evidence and on a better grasp of first-century language and culture, modern translators go with “Peace to all men and women on earth who please God” rather than “Good will toward men.”<\/p>\n

Does this mean that Christmas is just for those who please God? Or do others get to share in God’s good will?<\/p>\n

The Gospel of Luke begins by emphasizing how the birth of Jesus is relevant to Israel in particular. It fulfills Jewish hopes for a Savior who will establish God’s kingdom. God’s good will is extended, in particular, to the faithful among the people of Israel. But if you keep reading in Luke, you’ll discover that the peace and good will associated with Jesus will be available to all peoples. Shortly after the birth of Jesus, his parents take him to the Temple in Jerusalem. There they encounter a man named Simeon to whom the Holy Spirit reveals the true identity of the infant Jesus. Simeon took Jesus in his arms and prayed,<\/p>\n

“Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
         as you have promised.
I have seen your salvation,
         which you have prepared for all people.
He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
         and he is the glory of your people Israel!” (Luke 2:29-32)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Simeon draws from the prophecy of Isaiah, which envisions God’s servant as a light for all peoples (Isa 49:6).<\/p>\n

So, the message of the angels was addressed to Jewish shepherds and spoke of God’s good will for the faithful of Israel. But one needs only to read a few verses further in Luke to see that God’s salvation is meant for all peoples. Jesus came to reveal God’s love to everyone.  Tiny Tim was right. Thus, I am not bothered by Christmas cards that promise good will to all people. Though they might miss the precise translation of the best biblical manuscripts, these cards embody the universal impact of the birth of the Savior.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cathy Lynn Grossman, religion writer for USA Today, raises an intriguing issue in her blog, Faith & Reason. In her post, “Christmas cards wish good will toward (mostly) all,” Grossman notes that some Christmas cards offer peace and goodwill, following the class King James Version of Luke 2:14: “Glory to God in the highest, and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[195],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christmas"],"yoast_head":"\nGood Will Toward Whom? All? Or Only Those With Whom God is Pleased? - Mark D. 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Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1378"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1378\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}