Along with my wife, Cathy, I was embarking on a 1,500-mile road trip. What to do for hours and hours? How about looking at billboards along the interstate and examining their theological content?

No, that is not how it all started, but looking for billboard content soon became part of our traveling routine. What follows are actual messages from interstate billboards.

There is evidence for God. That statement, along with the picture of a baby, speaks the truth, biblical truth. There is evidence for God in creation (of which people are the crown) and in a person’s conscience.

The phrase 2 hearts, 2 souls, 2 lives accompanied the picture of a pregnant woman. Life in the womb is so precious because even the tiniest human beings have a soul.

Value all children. Jesus does. It was Jesus who said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14).

Discover why Jesus created you. The Bible provides answers to the age-old questions: “Who am I, where did I come from, and where am I going?”

Where are you going? Heaven or hell? The future hinges on attitudes toward one person. Jesus. That is his personal name. Jesus is Lord. That is one of his titles. Jesus, your only way to God. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Yes! My Lord is Jesus. Now, we’re talking Christian faith.

Losing faith in God? It happens, doesn’t it? There’s a reason, and there’s a remedy. Go to church or the Devil will get you! Okay, this one got us laughing. But is there any truth to that statement? The Bible teaches, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). The great Reformation hymn reminds us that “one little word [of Scripture] can fell” the devil (Christian Worship 863:3). Church is a place where the Word of God smacks Satan again and again, but don’t think that he is afraid of entering churches. As Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seed teaches, the devil is eager to snatch the Word of God from the daydreamers and doubters in pews who do not understand God’s Word (Matthew 13:19).

Genuine Christians obey Jesus’ teachings. The Lord said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples” (John 8:31).

Pray. It is a valuable instruction, but who is the object and what is the content? Jesus, the answer, pray to him. Now, we’re getting somewhere. Pray before you eat. Could the people behind this message have read my June column (“Will pray for food”)? I can only wonder how many fast-food meals in cars were interrupted by someone seeing that sign and yelling, “Hey, we forgot to pray!”

As I look back on that long trip, seeing so many billboards with theological content was amazing. Those signs reach many travelers each day. And this column illustrates what a final, nontheological sign boasted: You just proved that these signs work. Touché.

These billboard messages contribute to Christianity’s broadcast of God’s Word throughout the world. And that broadcast over time has been impressive. “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world” (Romans 10:18). Even on interstate highways.

Author: James Pope
Volume 111, Number 08
Issue: August 2024