Follow the Example of Jesus Because It's Uniquely Perfect

This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Mere Christianity" by C. S. Lewis. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.

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Is Jesus divine? How does the dual nature (humanity and divinity) of Jesus work? What difference does this dual nature make for people?

C. S. Lewis argues that the Christian faith requires, not simply surrendering to God’s moral laws, but following a perfect example. Lewis writes that only Jesus is capable of setting this perfect example of surrender because he is both human and divine.

Keep reading for an exploration of Lewis’s intriguing argument for why we should follow the example of Jesus.

The Divinity of Jesus

Before discussing why we should follow the example of Jesus, Lewis lays a foundational argument for the divinity of Jesus to help skeptics accept the dual nature of Jesus. He argues for the divinity of Jesus with the following line of reasoning: Jesus did not claim simply to be a moral teacher. He claimed to be the son of God, and that he had the power to forgive others’ sins. Lewis asserts that the claim to divinity forces you to accept one of three conclusions:

Conclusion #1: Jesus was lying.
Conclusion #2: Jesus was completely insane.
Conclusion #3: Jesus was God as he claims to be.

Lewis argues that it is unlikely that Jesus was either lying or insane. He cites the depth of wisdom and kindness in his moral teachings. He also notes that others who wrote about him spoke very highly of his character, praising his love and serenity. If Jesus is neither lying nor insane, then he must be God. Lewis accepts the divinity of Jesus as the least implausible of the three choices and encourages readers to accept it as well.

Did Jesus Claim Divinity?

Lewis’s argument for the divinity of Jesus has become popular in public debates over Christianity—even taking on the name “Lewis’s trilemma.” However, the argument remains controversial even among Christians and biblical scholars. Most of the controversy centers on the first premise—the claim to divinity—with scholars disagreeing over how sure we can be that Jesus actually made this claim. Here we’ll review some of the common arguments for each side.

The New Testament Scholar Bart D. Erhman casts doubt on whether Jesus claimed divinity as Lewis says. He points out that Jesus claims divinity in the Gospel of John, but not in the synoptic Gospels (those of Mathew, Mark, and Luke). Since the synoptic Gospels all share important similarities when contrasted with the Gospel of John, Erhman believes they corroborate each other and are therefore more historically accurate.

Furthermore, biblical scholars disagree on whether the New Testament should be taken as a historically accurate account of the life of Jesus in the first place. Those who question the claims of divinity point out that the gospels were written several decades after the death of Jesus and in Greek, a language neither Jesus nor his original followers would have spoken. Therefore, they were first passed down as oral traditions and may have taken on the characteristics of a legend.

That said, defenders of Lewis’s trilemma argue that the gospels should be taken as historically accurate accounts. The first argument is that the gospels are the divinely inspired word of God, and therefore must be accurate. Many Christian denominations hold that scripture is inerrant—meaning none of the gospels can be wrong.

Defenders also argue that there is strong historical evidence that Jesus claimed divinity. They highlight evidence from Roman historical documents showing that Jesus was a real person and that in scripture he exhorts his followers to accurately pass on his teachings. Defenders also argue that the actions of Jesus were aligned with a perception of divinity. Jesus claimed the ability to forgive all sins, which only God could do according to Jewish tradition at the time.

A Perfect Example of Surrender

Lewis argues that Jesus is God and reminds readers that, in traditional Christian teaching, Jesus lived in human form on Earth—therefore, Jesus is simultaneously human and God. Lewis asserts that the dual nature of Jesus allows him to set an example of perfect surrender. He lays out the following argument:

Humans are not able to surrender perfectly, because they are imperfect by nature, and surrender is hard. Only God is perfect.
Even though God is perfect, God is unable to surrender. Lewis writes that one can truly surrender only to something superior, and nothing is superior to God. Therefore, God cannot provide an example of surrender.
Therefore, only Jesus is able to provide an example of perfect surrender. He is able to surrender perfectly because he is God, and he is able to surrender at all because he is human.

Have Christians Always Believed in the Dual Nature of Jesus?

Lewis’s argument that Jesus provides a perfect example of surrender rests on the dual nature of Jesus: Jesus is both human and God, according to mainline Christian teaching. However, it’s worth considering that in the earliest years of Christianity, not all Christian sects agreed on the dual nature of Jesus. A variety of interpretations of Jesus arose before the early ecumenical councils sought to standardize Christian belief. Here we’ll discuss two early alternatives.

Human but not divine: Some early Christian sects held that Jesus was born a regular person, but because of his good deeds, God chose him to become the Messiah. This view is mostly associated with the Ebionites, an early sect of Jewish Christians who followed the teachings of Jesus alongside traditional Hebrew commandments.

Divine but not human: Other early Christians believed that Jesus was in fact God coming to Earth, but that he only appeared human to his followers. This view is associated with Gnostic Christians who rejected the idea that Jesus died or suffered on the cross.

Becoming More Like Jesus

Lewis argues that the purpose of Christian worship is to become more Christlike. While you can never be divine like Christ, you can still follow his human example of surrendering to God’s moral laws. This surrender means you will become increasingly Christlike to the best of your human ability.

(Shortform note: Many spiritual traditions confirm the goal of becoming Christlike through religious practices. However, this can do more than simply make you a more virtuous person. In The Untethered Soul, the spiritual teacher Michael Singer writes that the example of Jesus revealed a divine and inexhaustible love. He argues that by welcoming that divine love into your heart, you join with God in a divine union, bringing you closer to the source of all goodness in life.)

Follow the Example of Jesus Because It’s Uniquely Perfect