God is Not My Co-Pilot!

Or My Partner...

Published on August 2, 2004 By Shulamite In Philosophy

"God is my co-pilot" reads the bumpersticker. This implies God is in control with you. He's in the passenger seat next to you, holding the map, making suggestions. Rather ludicrous, don't you think?

Our society has seen God "tamed." We want all of the God-niceties, none of the bad. A saccharine God-substitue. Santa Claus, not King; Protector, not Judge. I think this goes a long way to explain our society's fascination with angels -- they're a sort of tame god in a way, right? All fluffy and nice and protecting and loving but unable to judge. Maybe it also explains an undue reliance on human beings who are in heaven to answer our prayers some how. We desperately want a tame God.

Is it okay to say "I just want God to be my partner, not my boss, not my king,"? I think appropriate here is the expression, "like hell it is."

You see, we know we love God if we obey Him. Check it out for yourself. The book of 1 John is a short read and it will go into detail for you on this point. We HAVE to obey Him. Does that sound like a partnership to you? Not to me. In fact, as I've stated before, there is no room in the Christian vocabulary for the phrase, "No, Lord." It's an oxymoron. Think about it.

You ask, "Do I have to love Him then?" A swift look at the ten commandments says you do! It's in Deuteronomy, too. "What more have I required of you?" asks God. Jesus says the law can be boiled down to loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself. Seems pretty darn important to God to put it first.

Thus: We know we have to love Him. We know we have to obey Him to love Him. We know we cannot obey Him and follow what WE want to do all the time. We have to be submissive and do what he wants. Therefore, God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) is and must be our King, not our co-pilot or partner or any other watered-down nonsense you want to throw out there.

God abhors lukewarm Christianity that wants fluff and no matter. The scriptures say it makes Him vomit (Revelation won't take you that long to finish either. Check it out). Sounds pretty passionate about it, don't you think? It's like mocking him. Setting up a little straw-god to hang from your rear-view mirror. Rub it's noggin in times of trouble, kiss it for luck, tuck it under your pillow for sweet dreams. Don't take it too seriously. Don't, by any means, let it change your life. God says repeatedly that He will not be mocked. If you're making Him into a Santa Claus or a vending machine or a get-out-of-jail-free card while calling him God, you need to re-evaluate your faith and whether it fits with what you claim to believe.

If I seem to have taken a hard edge on this, I hope you'll show me where it can be softened and still be truthful. "

Comments (Page 2)

Shulamite

on Aug 15, 2004

Pearl -- I think your second to the last paragraph is the only one I can agree with and in that, I say kudos. And I do limit scripture to the Biblical canon because of the credibility the canon has. (It's canon for reasons...)

I noticed you say "a door was opened to me." And I noticed you don't really consider yourself a Christian, at least in the orthodox sense. My sense is that very often we may face the choice of giving ear to voices that speak lies, despite knowing the truth. The more we give these voices free reign in our lives, the more they influence us and can then change our faith, perverting it. The plan of the devil has always been to take a nugget of truth and then whisk followers away on ever-increasing leaps of faulty logic based primarily in pride and like sins. He cannot create, he can only pervert, and usually through lies and pride. I find it interesting that even Sir Shitzu notes humility is a virtue. And if "God is not mocked" as you contend and with which I agree, tell me, what mocks Him more than self-pride?

I have to say, Pearl, your response here, though I disagree with most of what you said, is a very intelligent and well-thought-out response. Thank you for avoiding foul language -- you acheive a greater degree of clarity in my humble opinion.

Shitzu -- you're entirely right about God and humility. I think that's exactly why he did humble himself. He came to earth as a baby. He learned the humble trade of carpenter. He endured gossip that he was the bastard child of Joseph. He embraced those the Jews would not include or sometimes even touch -- children, women, lepers, and those of other races. Can a person know the full force of temptation if he gives in within five minutes? No. He'd not know it's strength an hour, two days, a month later. This man lived a pure, holy, and sinless life -- in other words he knows the full power of temptation because he never gave in. Humility. He could have called thousands of angels and didn't. He endured the cross because scripture prophesied it and he knew it was the only way we could be cleansed and enjoy eternity with him. He quoted scripture as he died, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" (Psalm 22) to recall to witnesses the prophesy of his death contained therein -- though in pain he never forgot he was working for our salvation and had to get the message across. Our eternity was at stake. I think if you're looking for humility in a God, you've found it, sir. But because he's endured this and defeated death, giving us eternal life, we elect him king forever. There can be no guillitine sentance now... he's already endured it.... hope this helps.

Gideon... anything from you on this?

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