God is Not My Co-Pilot

There's an old story about a man who crashed his car while driving carelessly. It happened that a drunk was leaving a nearby bar, and came stumbling over to help the victim out of his car. When the driver realized that he had escaped without a scratch, he sighed, "The Good Lord was riding with me."

The drunk replied, "Well, you'd better let him ride with me, because you're going to kill him!"

One of my Bible Study leaders mentioned in passing on Sunday that his class had debated the validity of the old bumper sticker, "God is my co-pilot." I never got to hear about their discussion, but it's useful to challenge our popular confessions. And it started me thinking. I've always disliked that bumper sticker, and I've disdained it for several reasons.

First, I've always wondered why Christians prefer slogans to Bible verses. The Bible never compares Christ to a co-pilot... or a designated driver, or an assistant manager. The Bible says "Jesus is Lord." Why would anyone want some vague metaphor on his automobile or his jet, when a biblical option is more succinct. "Jesus is my Lord." What's wrong with that?

Second, if you insist on placing a slogan on your bumper, why not select one that expresses biblical truth? For example, I've noticed bumper stickers which say "My boss is a carpenter." One variation is "I work for a Jewish carpenter." No, that's not a quotation from the Bible, but it does express a biblical truth in a slightly amusing manner.

Third, no matter how you stack it up, it's simply inaccurate to boast "God is my co-pilot." If you are merely referring to who's driving the car, it's not likely that He's going to take over if you fall asleep at the wheel. Christians commonly have automobile crashes, just like pagans do. I doubt we should attribute 50% of the blame to God.

And if you are speaking in the larger sense of God being the co-pilot of your life, you're flying smackdab in the face of Jesus. Go through your New Testament and count the number of parables which compare us to servants who must do what the Master commands. Read the Lord's prayer and ponder what it means to ask God to "give us our daily bread." Think about what it means that I am an organ in the Body of Christ in which Jesus is the head. What does it mean to have the mind of Christ?

It means, essentially, that I consent to be ruled by Him. God has no intention of being my spiritual advisor, my motivator, or my co-pilot. My goal is not to someday grow up and fly solo. Rather, maturing in faith means learning to be more surrendered everyday. (See Romans 12: 1,2.) Crucifying myself in faith means that I allow Jesus to be Lord of my life.

We are failed sinners who instinctively long for things that will destroy us. We need more than a nice co-pilot. We need a Great Physician, a loving Savior and a Lord.