C.S. Lewis's Trilemma, known as the "Lunatic, Liar, or Lord" argument, is an apologetic defense of the divinity of Jesus Christ, presented in Mere Christianity. The argument posits that Jesus's claims about Himself, as recorded in the Gospels, limit the logical conclusions to only three possibilities. He could not be merely a "great moral teacher," as His claims to be God are too radical for such a position. If His claims were false, He would be either a lunatic, for believing He was God without being so, or a liar, for deliberately deceiving others. If He was neither a lunatic nor a liar, the only remaining alternative is that He was exactly who He claimed to be: the Lord. Thus, Lewis challenges the reader to confront Christ's identity, rejecting the position of moral neutrality.
The central question raised by the "Lunatic, Liar, or Lord" dilemma is the identity of Jesus Christ. While logical argumentation offers an indispensable starting point for reason, the true understanding of who Christ is transcends apologetics and delves into the mystery of the supernatural life. To analyze the divinity of Christ is not merely an intellectual exercise but the gateway to the interior life, the union with God, which is the soul's final destiny.💡The Foundation of Faith: Beyond Human Logic
The logic of the Trilemma leads the mind to an inescapable crossroads. However, adhesion to the divinity of Christ is not completed by rational certainty alone. There is a fundamental distinction between acquired faith, which arises from historical and logical examination, and infused faith, which is an essentially supernatural gift. Acquired faith can convince the intellect that Christ was neither a liar nor a lunatic, but only infused faith, a gift from God, can introduce the soul into a higher world, allowing it to adhere to revealed truth not just as a logical conclusion, but as the very Word of God (Garrigou-Lagrange, 1989a, p. 52-54).
The words of Christ are not mere propositions for analysis; they are "spirit and life" (Garrigou-Lagrange, 1989a, p. 30). They communicate a divine reality that can only be fully received through grace. The Trilemma, therefore, serves as a providential means to remove the obstacles of reason, preparing the ground for the soul to receive the light of infused faith. Without this grace, even the most brilliant logical conclusion remains sterile, incapable of justifying and sanctifying the soul. True faith is not merely the absence of rational doubt but a living, loving adhesion that transforms one's entire existence.
🍇The Mystery of the Incarnation and Its Fruits
The conclusion that Jesus is Lord opens the door to the central mystery of Christianity: the Incarnation. He is not just a distant divine being, but "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (Garrigou-Lagrange, 1989a, p. 104). This truth is the source of all interior life. Christ is the "true vine," and we are the "branches," who can bear no fruit of ourselves (Garrigou-Lagrange, 1989a, p. 109). His divinity is not an honorific title but the efficient cause of our salvation and sanctification.
From His fullness, we receive the life of grace, which is a participation in the very inner life of God (Garrigou-Lagrange, 1989a, p. 34). He is the Head of the Mystical Body, communicating to each member the vital influx of grace through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist (Garrigou-Lagrange, 1989a, p. 111-112). Therefore, to accept Christ as Lord is to recognize Him as the source of our supernatural life, the wellspring of "living water, springing up into life everlasting" (Garrigou-Lagrange, 1989a, p. 34). The logic of the Trilemma, by establishing His identity, points to this dynamic reality: the progressive union of the soul with Christ.
🙏The Humility of the God-Man: The Divine Paradox
The options "lunatic" or "liar" lose their force when one contemplates the mystery of Christ's humility. His divinity was not wielded with the arrogance of a tyrant but with the humility of a servant. He, "being in the form of God, . . . emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant" (Garrigou-Lagrange, 1989b, p. 127). This act of kenosis (self-emptying) is the seal of divine authenticity. A lunatic lacks such coherence, and a liar would not humble himself to a death on a cross to sustain a falsehood.
His life was the manifestation of a love that gives itself completely, uniting the most profound humility with the highest magnanimity (Garrigou-Lagrange, 1989b, p. 132). He came "not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a redemption for many" (Garrigou-Lagrange, 1989b, p. 124). This union of opposites—majesty and lowliness, power and service—is the signature of the divine. His divinity is that of the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. Contemplating this paradox dissolves the apparent force of the Trilemma's alternatives and reveals the wisdom of the Cross, which is "unto the Jews indeed a stumblingblock, and unto the Gentiles foolishness: but unto them that are called . . . Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God" (Garrigou-Lagrange, 1989b, p. 481).
🔥The Ultimate Goal: Intimate Union with Christ
The Trilemma is, ultimately, not an end in itself but an invitation. To accept Jesus as Lord is the first step on a journey that ought to lead to intimate union with Him. The Christian life is not reducible to an intellectual assent but is a progressive transformation of the soul, which passes through three spiritual ages: the purgative way of beginners, the illuminative way of proficients, and the unitive way of the perfect (Garrigou-Lagrange, 1989a, p. 225).
The final goal is the infused contemplation of the mysteries of Christ and the union of love that results from it (Garrigou-Lagrange, 1989b, p. 280). This union is not an extraordinary privilege but the normal development of the life of grace in a soul that is faithful (Garrigou-Lagrange, 1989b, p. 319). One passes from a discursive meditation on who Christ is to a loving contemplation, a "being on terms of friendship with God, frequently conversing in secret with Him who, as we know, loves us" (Garrigou-Lagrange, 1989a, p. 445). The logic of the Trilemma establishes the foundation, but the life of prayer, the sacraments, and docility to the Holy Spirit build the spiritual edifice upon that rock, who is Christ, leading the soul to the transforming union, the prelude of eternal life (Garrigou-Lagrange, 1989b, p. 527).
📚References
Garrigou-Lagrange, R. (1989a). The three ages of the interior life: prelude of eternal life. (Vol. 1). Rockford: TAN Books and Publishers.
Garrigou-Lagrange, R. (1989b). The three ages of the interior life: prelude of eternal life. (Vol. 2). Rockford: TAN Books and Publishers.