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The Trilemma Argument From Christ’s CharacterAut Deaus Aut Homo Malus (Either God or Bad Man)

“Who do you say that I am?” (Matt. 16:15)

Introductory CommentsI. What did Jesus think of himself? The answer to this question is the basis

of what can be called the “Trilemma Argument From Christ’s Character,” sometimes called in Latin AUT DEUS AUT HOMO MALUS (either God or Bad Man) or, more commonly, the LORD, LIAR, LUNATIC ARGUMENT.

II. This is an old argument that goes back to the early Church fathers, was widely circulated in the 19th century, and was most recently popularized in the 20th century by C.S. Lewis.

III. The argument uses historical data to rule out “middle” or “fence sitting” positions about Jesus’ identity. Such an example of a fence sitting position would be the claim “Well, I’m ready to say Jesus was a good moral teacher, but I’m not willing to say he was God.” This is precisely the type of option the

This is precisely the type of option the argument says one cannot take. Either Jesus was who he claimed to be—God—or he was an outlandish liar or a crazed lunatic.

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argument says one cannot take. Either Jesus was who he claimed to be—God—or he was an outlandish liar or a crazed lunatic.

The Argument FormulatedI. One of the beauties of this argument is its SIMPLICITY. It’s so simple even a

young child can understand it.

IV. Formally stated, the argument goes like this:

A. Jesus claimed to be God.

B. Either that claim is true or it is false.

C. If true, then Jesus is God.

D. If false, then Jesus either knew it was false or he did not.

i. If he knew it was false and said it anyway, Jesus is a big liar.

ii. If he didn’t know it was false, Jesus is a raving lunatic.

E. Therefore, Jesus is either Lord, or a Liar, or a Lunatic.

F. Jesus was not a liar or a lunatic.

G. Therefore Jesus is Lord.

H. It certainly seems true that if Jesus thought he was God but was wrong, then he was either stark raving mad or the greatest liar in the history of the world.

I. It is equally true that insanity and intentional falsehood come in degrees. The greater the distance between the claim and reality, the greater the insanity or lying. Claiming to be God when one is not must be the greatest degree of insanity or lying possible.

“It doesn’t seem to me that he gave us any choice; either he was what he said he was or he was the world’s greatest liar. It is impossible for me to believe a liar or charlatan could have had the effect on mankind that he

has had for 2000 years. We could ask, would even the greatest of liars carry his lie through the crucifixion, when a simple confession would

have saved him?”Ronald Reagan

(cited in Paul Kengor, God and Ronald Reagan: A Spiritual Life, pp. 127–128, Harper, 2005)

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How Should This Argument Be Defended?I. Really, the only premise that needs to be shown is the first. Showing this is

critical since some modern critics will claim that the Christ of faith is a later invention and that the real Jesus of history made no divine claims and did not have a “high Christology” of himself.

A. “High Christology” – Jesus has a divine nature.

B. “Low Christology” – Jesus is just a man with only a human nature.

II. By far and away, the most common response to this argument is that the argument assumes it is naïve to think the Gospels are historically accurate, meaning that we don’t know if Jesus claimed to be God or not.

III. For example, agnostic NT critic Gerd Lüdemann says “the broad consensus of modern New Testament scholars is that the proclamation of Jesus’s exalted nature was in large measure the creation of the earliest Christian communities.” (“An Embarrassing Misrepresentation,” Free Inquiry, October / November 2007).

IV. So in other words, Jesus really never claimed to be divine; that is just something that his disciples made up. So we need to establish what Jesus’ “self-

So in other words, Jesus really never claimed to be divine; that is just something that his disciples made up.

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understanding” (what he thought of himself) actually was for this argument to be successful.

V. How Can We Know? A Note on Historical Justification:

A. We can learn what Jesus thought of himself from both the Gospels and Paul for two reasons:

i. General Reliability – Generally speaking, the Gospels themselves should be regarded as historically reliable since all of the evidence indicates they were able, intending, and did write reliable history, and there is no good reason to think otherwise.

ii. Historiographical Criteria – Modern historiographical criteria (namely the criteria of multiple attestation, embarrassment, and coherence with Jesus’ condemnation and crucifixion) can clarify some high Christological passages independently of the general historical reliability of the Gospels.

a. The criterion of coherence is worthy of special mention since it is indisputable that Jesus was condemned and suffered death by crucifixion (thus whatever coheres with this event, like making divinity claims, is also likely historical).

b. Multiple attestation – What did his early followers think of him? What did people such as Paul, who had access to the original apostolic teaching, think of Jesus? The early followers probably knew Jesus’ own self-understanding.

c. So even if the case for a general reliability were not enough, these historiographical criteria are sufficient for justifying a large amount of Jesus’ divine claims as historical.

B. So it’s important to note that we are not going into this argument with a naïve or a historical view of the Gospels. We have very good reasons to think the Gospels are historically accurate, plus we have historiographical criteria to help us pull out relevant details that are probably historical.

We have very good reasons to think the Gospels are historically accurate, plus we have historiographical criteria to help us pull out relevant de-

tails that are probably historical.

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“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46)

The Moral Character of Jesus of NazarethI. It is fitting to first say a few things about what we know regarding Christ’s

character.

II. According to both secular history and the New Testament, it is clear that Jesus had a power over men’s hearts.

A. We are told that people left their jobs and followed him for days, sometimes without food.

i. “No man ever spoke like this man.” (John 7:46)

B. He helped others, was compassionate, was poor, and refused wealth (“the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” Matt 8:20)

C. According to the evidence, he does not seem selfish nor does he seem self-seeking.

i. He engaged in acts of humility—like washing the disciples’ feet.

ii. He was open to being friends with any class; rich or poor, it didn’t matter—he even ate with tax collectors and sinners.

iii. He preached mercy—asking us to forgive others “seventy times seven.”

iv. He also insisted that we love others —“love your neighbor as yourself”—even our enemies

v. The Sermon on the Mount is widely hailed as one of the finest speeches on moral perfection in the history of the world. There is something about this speech that “rings true” for many of us in our own hearts.

D. Jesus seems to be a model of MORAL ExCELLENCE—A PARIDIGM OF MORAL VIRTUE—A MORAL MODEL FOR OTHERS TO FOLLOW. This fits well with our moral intuitions and conscience.

E. So in his character, Jesus seems to greatly surpass other moral teachers.

F. But Christ ALSO said and did things that seem inexplicable if he thought he were only a man.

Jesus seems to be a model of MORAL ExCELLENCE—A PARIDIGM OF MORAL VIRTUE—A MORAL MODEL FOR OTHERS TO FOLLOW. This fits well with our moral intuitions and conscience.

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Three Reasons to Think Jesus Claimed to Be DivineI. There are three good reasons to think Jesus claimed to be a divine being (God).

A. Jesus’ Own Words and Actions: Both explicitly and implicitly, his words show that he claimed to be a divine being.

i. Not just one saying by itself, but taken collectively, the convergence of the data shows this—as we will see.

B. The Belief of Jesus’ Early Disciples: Jesus’ closest disciples, the earliest Christians, believed that Jesus was God.

i. This belief is best explained as coming from Jesus himself.

C. Jesus’ Divine Claims Are the Best Explanation for the Crucifixion: The divine claims of Jesus and thus his being charged with blasphemy is best explains what we know of his death by crucifixion. Hence they were probably true given the principle of coherence.

D. When all three of these reasons are put together, they form a powerful, cumulative case that Jesus claimed divinity. Let’s look at each of these reasons in more detail.

II. REASON #1: THE DIVINE CLAIMS OF JESUS OF NAzARETH:

A. Jesus’ Words Indicate a Divine Self-Understanding

i. He claims to be Yahweh (the name for God in the Old Testament) (John 8:58 –The reaction of his audience indicates how they understood his claim; they wanted to stone him!)

ii. He says he has the power to judge and raise the dead. (John 5:25 – The Jewish belief was that God alone can raise the dead.)

iii. He says he is the judge over all peoples and will separate them at the end of time. (Mt 25:31–45)

iv. He claims prerogatives reserved only to God.

v. He says he was before Abraham. (Jn 8:57–58)

vi. He says “All judgment has been given to the Son.” (Jn 5:22–23)

vii. He says he is the “door” through which men enter life, the “true vine” (Jn 15:1), the “Way, and the Truth, and the Life” (Jn 14:6), etc.

viii. He says he preexisted with the Father. (John 7:28–29)

ix. He says loyalty to him fulfills all of man’s deepest needs. (Mt 11:28–30; Mt 12:30; Mt 16:25; Mt 10:37–38; Luke 9:29; Luke 9:57)

Jesus’ Divine Claims Are the Best Explanation for the

Crucifixion: The divine claims of

Jesus and thus his being charged with

blasphemy is best explains what we

know of his death by crucifixion.

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x. He says we owe a debt to HIM and that loving HIM is how we gain forgiveness. (Luke 7:41–49)

xi. He said that he was central to people’s salvation and that your standing before God depends upon your standing before him! (Luke 12:8–9 and multiply attested throughout the NT)

xii. He says he is equal with the Father. (John 10:30–36).

xiii. He claims omnipotence and to be mysteriously united with the Father, i.e., “All things are delivered to me by my Father. And no one knows who the Son is, but the Father: and who the Father is, but the Son and to whom the Son will reveal him.”1 (This is a “Q” source” and hence also appears in Mt 11:27.)

xiv. He says he is superior to the prophets in “The Parable of the Wicked Tenants” (Luke 20:13–16). In this parable, the prophets had been slain and so now God has sent his Son, above all the prophets, who would be slain as well. Jesus here views himself as God’s special Son and therefore unique from the previous representatives sent to Israel. He is God’s special messenger, and rightful heir to Israel. The scribes listening knew exactly what Jesus meant and wanted to seize him there.2 Even most skeptical scholars take this parable as authentically coming from Jesus.

xv. He says he is greater than the temple. (Mt 12:6)

xvi. He says he is the “Lord of the Sabbath” (Mt 12:8). (The Jewish belief was that God established the Sabbath.)

xvii. He claims HIS Kingdom will last forever. (Mt 16:18)

xviii. Jesus claims divine titles for himself.3

1 Luke 10:22

2 Luke 20:13–16

3 For more on the divine titles, from which some of these points were derived, see William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics, 3rd ed. (Wheaton: Crossway, 2008) 287–327.

Jesus here views himself as God’s special Son and therefore unique from the previous representatives sent to Israel. He is God’s special messenger, and rightful heir to Israel.

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a. He calls himself the “Son of Man.”

a. This “Son of Man” is Jesus’ favorite title for himself; it appears over 80 times in the Gospels.

b. Many mistakenly believe “Son of Man” refers to Jesus’ humanity; however, it is actually a claim to divinity4; more like, THE Son of Man, that is, the Danielic Son of Man who will come (Dan 7:13–14).

b. He thinks he is the “Messiah” (Greek “Christos”). This point is indisputable.

a. The title “Christ” is so common it becomes like a last name for him—“Jesus Christ” (the word

“Christian” is built on this title)—but Christ is the word for Messiah, and the Jewish notion of Messiah was a divine being.

b. This point is all over the NT. See Mk 1:1; Jn 20:31; Mk 8:27 “You are the Christ”; Luke 3:15; John 1:19; Mk 1:24; Jn 6:69; Mt 11:3 and Luke 17:19 where John the Baptist’s faith wavers (embarrassment, plus this is Q material too); Jesus responds with signs: Luke 7:22–23 and Mt 11:4–6 (This is Q material and is multiply attested with criteria of embarrassment); Jesus’ execution—the plaque nailed to the cross “King of the Jews” (multiply attested in Mk 15:6 and John 19:19) appears to result from charges of being convicted as a messianic fake).

c. Jesus deliberately acts out messianic prophecy in the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (multiply attested Mk 11:1–11 and John 12:12–19), fulfilling zech. 9:9–10 and indicating that he thought of himself to be the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament.

4 “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom [that] which shall not be destroyed.” (Dan 7:13–14)

The title “Christ” is so common it

becomes like a last name for him—

“Jesus Christ” (the word “Christian” is built on this title)—

but Christ is the word for Messiah,

and the Jewish notion of Messiah

was a divine being.

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d. Why is Jesus as Messiah a claim to divinity? Because it is one of the attributes commonly thought to belong to the messiah in Jewish thought. Isaiah 9:6 says this messiah will be called “Mighty God,” “Everlasting Father,” and “Prince of Peace,” and “Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.”

xix. He claims that his authority is on par with God’s.

a. Jesus claimed the authority to override the Law, as manifest in all of the “You have heard…But I say to you…” passages in the Sermon on the Mount. In other words, Jesus claimed to reinterpret and “raise the bar” of the Ten Commandments based upon his own authority, as if he had the say-so over the moral law. (Mt 5: 21–22; cf. vv. 28, 32, 34, 39, 44)

b. “All authority on Heaven and Earth has been given to me…” (Mt 28:18)

c. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Mt 24:35)

d. “The word I have spoken will be his judge on the last day.” (John 12:48)

B. Jesus’ Actions Indicate a Divine Self-Understanding

i. He forgives sins – “Your sins are forgiven” (Mk 2:10), but the Jewish belief was that who can forgive sins but God alone? Jesus even thinks he has the authority to table with tax collectors and prostitutes (the immoral), showing salvation extends to religious outcasts.

ii. He accepts worship from others (several times without rebuking the worshippers) – Jesus accepted and sometimes even enticed worship from the disciples. To not rebuke them was blasphemous in a Jewish culture.

He accepts worship from others …Jesus accepted and sometimes even enticed worship from the disciples.

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a. From the healed leper (Mt 8:2)b. From the ruler who knelt (Mt 9:18)c. From those in the boat (Mt 14:33)d. From the Canaanite woman (Mt 15:25)e. From the mother of the sons of zebedee (Mt 20:20)f. From his followers who worshiped him (Mt 28:17)g. From the woman at the tomb (Mt 28:9)h. From the blind man (John 9:38)i. From Thomas – “my lord my God.” (John 20:28)

iii. Jesus prayed to God using the term “Abba” (like a Jewish child saying “Papa”). A Jew would never pray to God using such familiar terminology.

iv. Jesus asserts authority in the temple (multiply attested in all four Gospels) and says he will rebuild the temple (building the temple is God’s role – Ex 15:17).

v. He preached that the Kingdom of God had come (it is virtually undisputed that Jesus proclaimed that the Kingdom of God had arrived), yet he saw himself as central to the coming of the Kingdom; in fact, he saw himself as king and head of that kingdom.

III. REASON #2: THE EARLIEST FOLLOWERS OF JESUS BELIEVED JESUS WAS GOD

A. From the earliest of times, we find prayers addressed to Jesus:i. An important point to know is that Greek-speaking churches

preserved an Aramaic “mini-prayer” if you will—the call, Maranatha (‘Our Lord, come!’) (1 Cor. 16:22; Didache 10:6); the fact that this prayer was preserved in Aramaic indicates a primitive origin of this phrase.

ii. Also, other prayers to Jesus were common. (2 Cor. 12:8; 1 Thess. 3:11-13; 2 Thess. 2:16-17; 3:5, 16; Acts 1:24; 7:59-60)

“Unbelievers almost always say he was a good man, not a bad man…But a good man is the one thing he could not possibly have been according to

simple common sense and logic.” Peter Kreeft,

Fundamentals of the Faith, (Ignatius: San Francisco 1988), 60.

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iii. There were also doxologies (short expression of praise to God) addressed to either Jesus or sometimes to Jesus and the Father together (2 Tim. 4:18; 2 Pet. 3:18; Rev. 1:5-6, 13; cf. 7:10). Earlier NT texts have doxologies using the phrase “through Jesus Christ” (Rom. 16:27; cf. 2 Cor. 1:20).

iv. Hymns to Jesus were also common and very early (Phil. 2:6–11; 1 Tim. 3:16; cf. Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16).

B. In the Epistle of James:

i. Jesus is called the “Lord Jesus Christ” (Jas 1:1).

ii. Jesus is the “object of faith” (Jas 2:1).

iii. Jesus is the “Lord of glory” (Jas 2:1).

iv. James asks his readers to be patient until Jesus’ coming (Jas 5:7–8) and calls the elders in the early Church to anoint the sick in His name (Jas 5:14–15).

C. In Peter’s sermons in Acts, Jesus is called:

i. The “author of life” (Acts 3:15)

ii. The “judge of the living and the dead” (Acts 10:42)

iii. The “Lord of all” (Acts 10:36)

D. In Paul, there are numerous places (far too many to list here) where Paul indicates he holds a high Christology, but to mention a few:

i. “the Christ, who is God overall” (Romans 9:5)

ii. “He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” (Colossians 1:15–20)

iii. “Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” Col. 1:19–20

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above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5–11)

iv. Paul says these things not as if he were teaching per se, but he assumes these are commonly held beliefs of his audience. He does not announce these views as if he were announcing some revolutionary new doctrine.

E. In John:

i. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John1:1)

ii. “This was why the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath but also called God his Father, making himself equal with God.” (John 5:18)

iii. “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me; or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves.” (John 14:11)

IV. IN FACT, WE CAN EVEN SAY THAT THE EQUATING OF CHRIST WITH GOD IS TAUGHT IMPLICITLY AND ExPLICITLY THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE NT.

A. Worship of Jesus was primitive in the earliest of Christian communities; why is this the case? Why would Jewish monotheists start worshipping a man? The Gospels all say that Jesus encouraged them to do so!

B. The origin of the disciples’ belief in Jesus’ divinity is unexplainable if Jesus never claimed to be God. How are we to explain a full-blown high Christology from the very beginning if not from the understanding of Jesus himself?

C. IT’S REMARKABLE THAT SOME MODERN CRITICS THINK THEY KNOW WHAT JESUS THOUGHT ABOUT HIMSELF BETTER THAN JESUS’ OWN APOSTLES—PETER, PAUL, JOHN, ETC.

It’s remarkable that some modern critics think they know what Jesus thought about Himself better than Jesus’ own apostles—Peter, Paul,

John, etc.

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V. REASON #3: JESUS’ DIVINE CLAIMS BEST ExPLAIN THE CRUCIFIxION

A. If Jesus never claimed divinity, then it is very difficult to explain the charges of blasphemy (Mk 2:7; John 10:33; John 5:18; 8:59) and his subsequent execution.

B. The fact that Jesus was convicted of blasphemy and crucified indicates his own self-understanding of being of the same nature with the Father and thus the true Son of God: “And the high priest said to him: I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us if thou be the Christ the Son of God. Jesus saith to him: Thou hast said it. Nevertheless I say to you, hereafter you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of the power of God and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his garments, saying: He hath blasphemed: What further need have we of witnesses? Behold, now you have heard the blasphemy.” (Mt 26:63–65)

C. Since we know from even ancient pagan sources that Jesus was crucified and that the crucifixion of Jesus is the most well established fact we have about him, we should also accept as historical whatever else sources tell us that coheres with that fact. A Jesus that was just a

“good guy” never making divine claims would never tick anybody off and be crucified for blasphemy.

Conclusion of the ArgumentI. Whether Jesus was God or not, let there be no mistake, that is AT LEAST what

Jesus thought of himself, that’s what his disciples thought of him, and that’s what his enemies thought he was saying too.

II. There is really a mountain of historical evidence to suggest that Jesus claimed to be a divine being, thus the BURDEN OF PROOF FALLS ON ANYONE WHO DENIES THE FIRST PREMISE THAT JESUS CLAIMED TO BE GOD

There is precious little in the Gospels to suggest that Jesus was either a lunatic or a liar, and much to suggest that he was neither. Virtually everyone who reads the Gospels—whether committed to Christianity or not—comes away with the conviction that Jesus was a wise and good man.”

Stephen Davis, PhD (“Was Jesus Mad, Bad, or God?” in Christian Philosophical Theology,

Oxford University Press, 2006) 153.

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III. But since the first premise is really the only premise that needs to be proven, the rest of the argument follows.

A. This divine claim was either true or it was false.

i. If true, then Jesus was God.

ii. If false, then either he knew it was false or he did not.

a. If he did not know it to be false, then Jesus is one of the most pitiable and deranged human beings who has ever walked the planet.

b. If he knew it to be false, then let’s be honest. In that case, Jesus is the greatest impostor in the history of the world; a compulsive, colossal liar of monumental proportions; an arrogant, misrepresenting fake whose conceit, egotism, and self absorbance were of such magnitude that he felt compelled to craft grandiose stories about himself, deceiving and betraying all of those who loved and trusted him, luring them into giving up their lives and sometimes family, so that they can in turn could go out and preach his deceitful fabrications and fool others into worshiping his lying self. Make no mistake about it, if Jesus lied about this, then he is the lowest of

“I am trying to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher,

but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a

level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill him as a demon; or you

can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has

not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”1 C.S. Lewis

1 C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (Macmillan Publishing 1978.) pg. 56, emphasis added

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shams who deliberately unloaded the biggest bunch of B.S. the world has ever seen, ultimately spreading out into becoming the most widespread and numerous false religion in the world.

iii. Therefore Jesus is either God, severely insane, or the lowest of tricksters and con artists.

How to Answer Some Common ObjectionsI. “Maybe Jesus’ claim to be God was metaphorical. He didn’t mean for it to be

taken literally.”

B. If it was just “metaphorical,” don’t you think Jesus would have clarified this after being whipped or at least before they drove the nails into his hands?

C. Don’t you also find it unusual that neither his immediate disciples nor his enemies who crucified him thought his claim was just

“metaphorical”? It is certainly telling that nobody else at that time seemed to take his claim as metaphorical. At least one of his disciples should have figured this out before they were beaten, scourged, and ultimately killed for taking his claim so literally.

II. “Maybe Jesus was telling a ‘noble lie’ and was lying for a good reason, like to get people to follow his moral teachings”?

A. See the response to the previous objection.

III. “Jesus’ moral teachings can be taken on their own merit without accepting his claim to be God.”

A. Sure they can, but that’s not the point. The issue on the table here is not whether his moral teachings are acceptable but whether his character and teachings are compatible with a bold face liar or a severe mental insanity.

IV. “Maybe Jesus was just claiming to be one of many gods or just an Oriental “guru.”

A. It is important to remember that Jesus lived and spoke in a JEWISH MONOTHEISTIC CONTExT. Thus if he claims to be God, he is not claiming to be some mysterious impersonal “power,” he is not claiming to be some Eastern deity, nor is he claiming to be one among many

“gods,” etc. Jesus spoke as a Jew in a Jewish historical context, and his words need to be interpreted that way.

It is important to remember that Jesus lived and spoke in a JEWISH MONOTHEISTIC CONTExT. Thus if he claims to be God, he is not claiming to be some mysterious impersonal “power,” he is not claiming to be some Eastern deity, nor is he claiming to be one among many “gods,” etc.

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V. “It’s possible for an insane man to say some good things.”

A. Sure it is “possible,” but so what? The Christian does not need to claim that the compatibility of Jesus and severe mental illness is impossible. It may be “possible” for a crazy man to say a few profound things and teach moral truths, but that doesn’t avoid the issue. The argument here is that it is very implausible for one and the same man to be both severely delusional (which is what one would be if they were mistaken in thinking they were the creator of the universe) and live and teach as Jesus did at the same time.

B. In other words, given our background knowledge of his life and the profundity of his teachings, the proposition “Jesus was not insane” is vastly more plausible than the proposition that “Jesus was severely insane.” All that is needed for a good argument is to have premises that are more plausible than their denials. The same would go for the lying alternative. That Jesus was a liar or lunatic seems enormously implausible from what we know of Jesus’ character and teaching. It just seems plain wrong that Jesus of Nazareth was really just a liar or a madman who just happened to teach some good moral truths.

C. “The high Christology claimed by Jesus can be simply in a functional sense (Jesus calling down power from God, acting as God’s chosen agent, etc.) and not in an ontological sense (Jesus himself having a divine nature).”

i. This is the ancient heresy of Arianism, which fails to do justice to all of the data. For example, Jesus never prays to God for a miracle to be done; he seems to do it himself, in his own name and by his own power. He performs miracles and forgives sins from His own power.5 He claims that he is the way, the truth, and the life, etc.

5“And when Jesus had seen their faith, he said to the sick of the palsy: Son, your sins are forgiven. And there were some of the scribes sitting there and thinking in their hearts: Why does this man speak thus? He blasphemes. Who can forgive sins, but God only? Which Jesus presently knowing in his spirit that they so thought within themselves, said to them: Why think you these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the sick of the palsy: Your sins are forgiven; or to say: Arise, take up your bed and walk? But that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins (he said to the sick of the palsy): I say to you: Arise. Take up your bed and go into your house. And immediately he arose and, taking up his bed, went his way in the sight of all: so that all wondered and glorified God, saying: We never saw the like.” (Mark 2:5–12)

In other words, given our background

knowledge of his life and the profundity

of his teachings, the proposition “Jesus was not insane” is

vastly more plausible than the proposition

that “Jesus was severely insane.”

The Trilemma Argument From Christ’s Character 111

ii. Jesus’ disciples didn’t seem to think he was only an agent from God. These monotheistic Jews worshipped him as divine.

iii. The apostle Paul was in a position to know the difference between a prophet/holy man and God himself and still thought Jesus was the latter.

VI. SUMMARY

A. Is this argument successful? What do we mean by successful?

B. As philosopher Stephen Davis has argued,6 if by “successful” we mean that it will convert every non believer who ever hears it, then no, it is not successful. However, if by “successful” we mean it demonstrates the rationality of believing in the divinity of Jesus, then indeed it can be seen as very successful.

C. We can also evaluate this argument in terms of probability. If Jesus probably claimed to be God, and if he was probably not one of the craziest people that ever lived nor one of the world’s biggest liars, we can claim to know that Jesus was God with that same degree of assurance.

6 Stephen Davis, “Was Jesus Mad, Bad, or God?” Christian Philosophical Theology (Oxford University Press, 2006) 221.

What are we to make of Christ? There is no question of what we can make of Him; it is entirely a question of what He intends to make of us. You must accept or reject the story.

The things He says are very different from what any other teacher has said. Others say, “this is the truth about the Universe. This is the way you ought to go,” but He says, “I am the Truth, and the Way, and the Life.” He says, “No man can reach absolute reality, except through Me. Try to retain your own life and you will be inevitably ruined. Give yourself away and you will be saved.” He says, “If you are ashamed of Me, if, when you hear this call, you turn the other way, I also will look the other way when I come again as God without disguise. If anything whatever is keeping you from God and from Me, whatever it is, throw it away. If it is your eye, pull it out. If it is your hand, cut it off. If you put yourself first you will be last. Come to Me everyone who is carrying a heavy load, I will set that right.

112 Christ 101

Chapter Questions1. What good reasons are there for thinking Jesus claimed to be divine?

2. Suppose someone says we cannot know that Jesus held a divine understanding of himself. What can you say in response?

3. How does the criterion of coherence apply to the crucifixion and the Trilemma argument?

Your sins, all of them, are wiped out, I can do that. I am Re-birth, I am Life. Eat Me, drink Me, I am your Food. And finally, do not be afraid,

I have overcome the whole Universe.” That is the issue. C.S. Lewis,

(“What Are We to Make of Jesus Christ?” God in the Dock, p. 160)