Quotes About Jesus for Sermons, Bible Studies, and Apologetics
Jesus's own words about himself, plus C.S. Lewis's well-known argument that a merely good teacher is not on the table.
The most striking quotes about Jesus are his own claims about himself ("I am the way," "before Abraham was, I am") because they are the ones that force the question C.S. Lewis later made famous: a man who said these things and was not who he claimed to be would not be a great moral teacher.
The Lewis quote below is exact and specific to a named chapter of Mere Christianity, deliberately included instead of the looser, paraphrased versions of the "trilemma" that circulate without a citation.
Quotes about jesus
Scripture is quoted from the World English Bible (public domain). Every non-scripture quote names its specific source so you can verify it before you preach it.
“Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me."”
Jesus — John 14:6 (WEB)
“The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John — John 1:14 (WEB)
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”
Paul — Colossians 1:15 (WEB)
“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Jesus — Matthew 11:28 (WEB)
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
The author of Hebrews — Hebrews 13:8 (WEB)
“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... or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice.”
C.S. Lewis — Mere Christianity, Book II, Chapter 3 ("The Shocking Alternative")
Using these quotes in preaching
- 1John 14:6 is often preached as an exclusive claim in isolation. It is worth noting the verse before it (14:5, Thomas's question "how can we know the way?"): Jesus is answering a specific question about direction, not making an abstract theological statement out of nowhere.
- 2The Lewis "trilemma" is an argument, and it works better presented as one: walk the congregation through the logic (Jesus's claims rule out "great moral teacher" as an option) rather than dropping the quote as a soundbite.
- 3Colossians 1:15 sits inside a longer hymn (1:15–20) about Christ's supremacy over creation; quoting it alone loses the cosmic scope Paul is building toward across the whole passage.
- 4Hebrews 13:8 is short enough to memorize and works well as a closing line. It moves from claims about who Jesus is to a promise about his constancy.
Frequently asked questions
What is C.S. Lewis's "Liar, Lunatic, or Lord" argument?
Also called the trilemma, it argues in Mere Christianity that because Jesus explicitly claimed to be God, the option of calling him merely "a great moral teacher" is unavailable: someone who made those claims falsely would be either lying or delusional, leaving only three real possibilities: liar, lunatic, or Lord.
What are the "I am" statements of Jesus?
Seven statements in John's gospel where Jesus applies "I am" (echoing God's name in Exodus 3:14) to himself: the bread of life, the light of the world, the door, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, the way/truth/life, and the true vine.
What does it mean that Jesus is "the image of the invisible God"?
Colossians 1:15 identifies Jesus as the visible expression of an otherwise unseen God, the same idea John 1:18 states directly: "No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son... has declared him."
Preached it? Keep a record of what you actually said.
A quote is one line of a sermon. Transcribe the whole thing and build a searchable archive your congregation can go back to — the Church Plan is $19/month for as many sermons as you preach.
Related quote themes
Quotes about Good Friday
Scripture from the cross itself, plus two hymns whose words have carried Good Friday services for three centuries.
Quotes about Heaven
Scripture and two of the most widely quoted lines on heaven from Augustine and C.S. Lewis, chosen because their sources are exact and checkable.
Every quote theme
More sermon resources
- Worship liturgy library: benedictions, calls to worship, and every other part of the service.
- Sermon illustrations by topic: honestly sourced, with the point each one lands.
- Sermon resources for all 66 books: themes, famous chapters, and preaching notes.
- Sermon outline generator: turn a text and a big idea into a preaching outline.