Liar, Lunatic, Lord—or Legend?

C.S. Lewis (who is one of my favorite authors and well noted for his Chronicles of Narnia series), in his book Mere Christianity, famously argued that Jesus could not simply be regarded as a great moral teacher. Given His direct claims to divinity, He must be one of three things: a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord.¹ This argument, known as the Trilemma, dismantles the popular but inconsistent view that Jesus was merely an ethical leader while rejecting His divine authority.

However, modern skeptics have introduced a fourth option—legend, claiming that Jesus’ divinity was an invention of later generations rather than a historical reality. This expansion of the argument will not only consider these four possibilities but also evaluate them in light of historical, psychological, and theological evidence.

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Liar: The Greatest Deceiver in History?

If Jesus was not divine yet knowingly claimed to be, then He was history’s most dangerous fraud. The severity of this claim cannot be understated—if false, Jesus deliberately misled multitudes, calling people to entrust their eternal destiny to Him. His teachings leave no room for a mild misinterpretation:

• “Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58) – Here, Jesus takes upon Himself the divine name revealed in Exodus 3:14.
• “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30) – Not merely one in purpose, but one in essence, as indicated by the Jews’ immediate attempt to stone Him.
• “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) – A claim no mere prophet would dare make.

Could a man who preached love, self-sacrifice, and truth (Matthew 5:37; John 14:6) deliberately fabricate the most consequential falsehood in human history? If He was a liar, He gained nothing from it—no wealth, no political power, no comfort. Instead, He was mocked, beaten, and crucified for these claims. A liar may persist in deceit for personal gain, but who dies for a lie they know to be false?²

Moreover, Jesus’ disciples—those closest to Him—followed Him to their deaths rather than recant their belief in His resurrection. Would they, too, willingly die for a known fraud? As Blaise Pascal noted, people lie for power, but not when it leads to their certain destruction.³

A liar? Impossible.

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Lunatic: A Man Deluded with Divine Madness?

If Jesus wasn’t lying, but sincerely believed He was God while being mistaken, He would be mentally deranged. History has seen men claiming divine status—but these individuals exhibit irrational, erratic, and unstable behavior. They do not transform civilization with the most profound moral system known to humanity.

Jesus displayed none of the traits of a delusional megalomaniac. Instead, He demonstrated:

• Unparalleled wisdom (Matthew 7:28–29) – His teachings astonished both followers and enemies alike.
• Perfect emotional balance – He displayed righteous anger (Mark 3:5) without instability, grief without despair (John 11:35), and supreme composure under excruciating torment (Luke 23:34).
• Radical self-sacrifice – Unlike false messianic figures, He sought no personal power and instead laid down His life.

Would the most rational, insightful, and composed teacher in history be insane? As historian Philip Schaff wrote:

“Is such an intellect—clear as the sky, sharp as a razor, thoroughly healthy, and always ready—liable to a radical and most serious delusion concerning His own character and mission? Preposterous imagination!”⁴

Even skeptics admire Jesus’ ethical system. Albert Einstein stated, “I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene.”⁵ But how could an insane man inspire admiration from history’s greatest minds? The lunatic hypothesis collapses under the weight of Jesus’ unmatched moral and intellectual brilliance.

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Lord: The Truth That Changed History

If Jesus was neither a liar nor a lunatic, the only alternative is that He was precisely who He claimed to be—Lord of all creation. And if that is true, everything He said matters eternally.

The ultimate evidence? The resurrection. The earliest Christian creed, recorded in 1 Corinthians 15:3–7, dates to within five years of Jesus’ death, affirming the resurrection as historical fact.⁶ The empty tomb was never disputed by Jesus’ enemies—instead, they concocted an explanation, admitting, “His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.” (Matthew 28:12–13)

But consider:

1. If the disciples stole the body, why did they die rather than confess a fraud?
2. If the authorities moved the body, why didn’t they produce it to stop Christianity?
3. If Jesus never died, how did a crucified man survive a Roman execution and convince His followers He had conquered death?

The only coherent explanation is the one given by the apostles: He rose from the dead. This was not the gradual evolution of legend—it was proclaimed immediately and at the cost of their lives.⁷

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Legend: A Late Fabrication?

Skeptics argue that Jesus’ divinity was a later invention. Yet this is historically impossible.

• Paul’s letters (c. 50–60 AD) affirm Jesus’ divinity and resurrection long before later theological developments.⁸
• Tacitus (c. 116 AD) and Pliny the Younger (c. 112 AD) confirm that early Christians worshiped Jesus as God, not as a mere teacher.⁹
• Jewish monotheism made it unthinkable for early Jewish Christians to invent a divine Jesus unless they were convinced of His resurrection.¹⁰

If Jesus’ divinity was fabricated, the first-century Jewish and Roman world would have obliterated Christianity immediately. Yet instead, it spread like wildfire under persecution. This is not the pattern of legend—it is the pattern of truth.

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The Inescapable Choice

C.S. Lewis’s argument remains as unshakable today as ever. Jesus must be one of these four things:

• If He was a liar, He was the most diabolical deceiver in history.
• If He was a lunatic, then the greatest moral teacher was insane.
• If He was a legend, then history’s most explosive movement is based on a fiction no historian can explain.
• If He was Lord, then His words are the most important ever spoken.

Jesus Himself asked, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15). That question demands an answer.

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Footnotes

¹ C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: HarperOne, 2001).
² John Stott, Basic Christianity (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2008).
³ Blaise Pascal, Pensées, ed. Roger Ariew (Indianapolis: Hackett, 2005).
⁴ Philip Schaff, The Person of Christ (New York: American Tract Society, 1913).
⁵ Albert Einstein, The World As I See It (New York: Philosophical Library, 1949).
⁶ Gary Habermas and Michael Licona, The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2004).
⁷ N.T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003), 707.
⁸ Philippians 2:6–11.
⁹ Tacitus, Annals, 15.44; Pliny the Younger, Letters, 10.96.
¹⁰ Larry Hurtado, Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2003).

Personal note: When I produced documentary films, I had the pleasure of producing four films based on the works of Lewis, and I have interviewed several Lewis scholars throughout my journey. Their insights added a rich layer of understanding to my projects, making the experience even more rewarding. It was a joy to do so, as each conversation revealed unique perspectives on Lewis’s profound contributions to literature and philosophy. If you would like an overview of Lewis’ thoughts delivered in a clever way, I highly recommend reading Between Heaven and Hell: A Dialog Somewhere Beyond Death with John F. Kennedy, C.S. Lewis, and Aldous Huxley (all three men died on the same day, November 22, 1963). This poignant juxtaposition of their thoughts during a pivotal moment in history makes for an engaging read. The book, written by Peter Kreeft, weaves together the ideologies of these three influential figures, providing readers with a fascinating exploration of life’s ultimate questions. It is a work that resonates on many levels and is well worth reading. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of these intellectual giants.