The Bible is the most-attacked book because people want an excuse to doubt what it teaches. However, the Bible holds up under scrutiny. Here are four of the many compelling examples of how God’s Word has withstood tests of authenticity that no other purportedly sacred writing has. 1. Several books of Scripture contain words or situations in use only during the authors’ lives. For example, 2 Kings 18:17 gives some specific titles of Assyrian officials. For many years, some scholars assumed that these were proper names, but later findings of Assyrian documents revealed these as titles, just like Scripture intimated (by using the definite direct object marker, et [translated as “the”], in front of each title). 2. Scripture accurately depicts the places for the events it claims. Scripture’s portrayal of its locations is archaeologically accurate. Archaeologists have even made discoveries by digging at places where Scripture indicates a certain site should be! 3. Scripture records scientific details, long before they were accepted as scientific fact. For example, Job 26:7–8 (ESV) states, “He stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing. He binds up the waters in his thick clouds, and the cloud is not split open under them.” The knowledge that the earth is “suspended” in space and that clouds carry water and need something to “split” them open to produce rain (also see Job 36:27–29) was not recorded by any philosophers (as far as we know) at that time. 4. Scripture makes no attempt to portray main characters as heroic. In most ancient literature, including historical writings, authors deliberately played down character flaws or military losses and exaggerated the positive aspects of their sovereigns. But the Bible almost always exposes the sins of patriarchs, prophets, and kings because true history has real people with real flaws. The Bible records accurate history because it was written by the God who acts in history. Its repeated accuracy about historical details also attests to its overall trustworthiness. We can trust Scripture to tell us truth, not just of history but also about why we need a Savior and how to be saved. —Troy Lacey