Glory in the Highest to God

The Revised Standard Version translates Luke 2:14 thusly: “Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

Although I admire greatly the RSV, in this case I do not believe that this is the best or most accurate translation of this passage. A better rendering, I believe, is, "Glory in the highest to God, and on Earth peace among men of good will."

God did not send the gift of His Son to Earth because He was pleased with man, which is how the RSV appears to read. Had He been pleased with men, there would have been no need to send His Son. On the contrary, God sent us Jesus Christ because our sins had made us His enemy (James 4:4), and it is His will that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

What the angels were intending to tell us is that glory and praise of the highest magnitude are to be given to God because of Who He is, not merely because of where He is. As it is written in the RSV, one might be led to believe that praise is to be given to God merely because of the place (location) He is. There is nothing wrong with that, per se, but I believe it falls short of what is really being conveyed in this passage. What was being proclaimed is an affirmation from the heavenly host of why God should be praised thusly. The glory and praise bestowed upon God is to be of the highest caliber because only He offers salvation, only He offers peace, only He offers forgiveness of sins and only He offers reconciliation of His people through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. Through His boundless grace freely granted He offers this most precious of gifts to us not because of our goodness or our works (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9), but because He loved us so much and knew we were in need of His salvation (John 3:16).

The "peace among men of good will" will only come and be bestowed upon those who honor God with praise and glory of the highest magnitude. This only happens if we are men who are doers as well as hearers of His word (James 1:22). Then, and only then, will He be pleased with men, for we will have put to death our old man that the body of sin may be done away (Romans 6:6). We shall be conformed to the body of His glory (Philippians 3:21), no longer in bondage to sin (Romans 6:6). God will view us through the riches of His glory (Ephesians 3:16) that is His Son as we are now clothed in Christ (Galatians 3:27), our sins washed away through the redemption that is found in His blood (Acts 22:16; Ephesians 1:7).

May you and yours truly enjoy “peace among men of good will” as you give “glory in the highest to God”!