Whether Biblical bumperstickers are within the confines of Christianity or not is still uncertain to me. In Matthew 6:6 the Bible says: "...When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen...." In the proceeding verse it warns against praying "on street corners to be seen by men." I am not sure that this public display of "Christianity" is necessary or right. However this is not the topic of this article, the topic is what happens once these billboards of "Faith" are on display.
I can't tell you the number of times that as a car goes zooming past me, all I can make out is that: "The Lord is my Co-Pilot" bumpersticker. [Don’t even get me started on the idea of God as Co-Pilot!] What does that say to the non-Christian--"Well, there goes one of those self-righteous so and so's." Speeding is a law and breaking that law is a sin. The Bible says to obey man's law in at least three places. The most popular is probably Romans 13:1: "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established." That does NOT say: "Well, if the law is silly one or is not enforced, you need not obey it because you are "Christians." Quite the opposite, because you are a professing believer in Jesus Christ, you need to set the best example, follow the laws made by our Civil Authorities.
In Titus 3:1, we find Paul instructing Titus to remind God's people to, "...Subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good...." It isn't just speeding; how many times have you allowed someone other than yourself to use your vehicle--children, sibling, neighbor, anyone. Do you only allow "Christians" to use your vehicle? Let's say that while your brother, who is not a believer, has your car, he gets cut off in traffic; he then proceeds to flip-off the driver of the other car. You wouldn't (and didn’t) do that, but the impact is the same because everyone who saw the action also saw that, "Jesus is Lord" bumpersticker or license plate. The damage is done. You might as well have done it yourself. BillyBob, who got flipped off, has no way of knowing that it isn't a Believer in the car. He has, however, added more ammunition to his "Can't convert me" arsenal.
What can you do? I believe that a witnessing is an important part of the walk toward Christianity; but somewhere people got suckered into mass marketing. My witness is a very personal thing, it cannot be summed up or expressed in writing, much less on the limited area of bumperstickers or license plates. The way I act in traffic, on the elevator, at the workplace and at-home is a witness in itself. If you are truly striving to be Christ-like, people will be able to notice something, without the "He is Lord" tags—your life can be the fragrance of Christ.
Get out the rubbing alcohol and razorblade or the screwdriver and get that misplaced billboard off of your vehicle.
Always Remember: "Whose you are, and at what cost."
