1. Matthew 16:13-18 (NKJV)
13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

2. Matthew 16:13-18 (NKJV)
16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

3. Either It Is Or It Isn’t
Matthew 16:13-18

4. Either It Is Or It Isn’t Law of the Excluded Middle
It states that a thing must either be, or not be, the case
A door is either open or closed
A line is either straight or not
There is no middle position

5. Either It Is Or It Isn’t Jesus Christ: The Son of God
Either Jesus is the Son of God, or He isn’t
Josh McDowell: “Lord, Liar, or Lunatic”
There is no middle ground
Jesus claimed to be God (Jn. 8:58; 10:30)
He claimed power to forgive sins (Mk. 2:5)

6. Either It Is Or It Isn’t Jesus Christ: The Son of God
He claimed to be the only way to the Father and to heaven (Jn. 14:6)
He blessed Peter when Peter identified Him as the Son of God (Matt. 16:15-17)
The signs and miracles were done and written so that we would believe that He is the Son of God (Jn. 20:30-31)

7. Either It Is Or It Isn’t Jesus Christ: The Resurrection
Then there is the matter of the resurrection
Either Jesus rose from the dead or He didn’t
Paul recounts what that means to us in I Corinthians 15 (vs , 20-58)
Again, there is no middle ground

8. Either It Is Or It Isn’t The Inspiration of the Scriptures
Either the Bible is the inspired word of God or it isn’t
Some want there to be a middle ground
Some say that only a portion of God’s word is inspired
If only part is inspired, then which part?

9. Either It Is Or It Isn’t The Inspiration of the Scriptures
Paul said that all scripture is given by inspiration of God (II Tim. 3:16-17)
Peter said that men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (II Pet. 1:20-21)
He also said we are to be mindful of the words of prophets and the apostles (3:2)

10. Either It Is Or It Isn’t The Inspiration of the Scriptures
Remember Jesus declared the words of God as truth (Jn. 17:17)
Paul claimed that the words He wrote were the commandments of the Lord (I Cor. 14:37)
Peter said that anyone who speaks should do so as the utterance of God (I Pet. 4:11)

11. Either It Is Or It Isn’t The Inspiration of the Scriptures
If all scripture is inspired, then we have a duty to obey it, all of it
We cannot pick and choose what we like and what we do not like
If all scripture is not inspired, then our faith is in vain