The Mileses

Paul and Olena Miles with Grace Abroad Ministries

word study

Three Problems in the 1611 KJV

The King James Bible is my favorite English Bible translation. It isn’t everyone’s favorite, so on this site, I’ll often use the ESV or NKJV, or I might just translate a passage or two myself ery’ now and then.

While I do love the King Jimmy, there is a minority of Christians who go too far and teach that the King James translation itself is inspired by God and without error. Here are three reasons, backed by excerpts from the 1611 King James Version that, in my opinion, demonstrate that it is not perfect:[Read More]

What does, “But the one who endures to the end will be saved” mean?

In Matt 24:13, Jesus says the famous words:

But the one who endures to the end will be saved. (ESV)

Perhaps the most common understanding of this passage is that we must endure in good works to the end of our physical lives to be saved from hell. This understanding contradicts Paul’s words in Eph 2:8a:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. (ESV)

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Think before you ink

​When I was in the Army, I thought it would be cool to get a tattoo that said, “I run with scissors!” with a skull and cross-scissors above it. I was telling my brilliant idea to my father, who told me, “Son, most people I know who are my age and have tattoos are folks that got the tattoos when they were your age and now they regret it.”
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Three reasons why you do not want Jeremiah 29:11 to be about you

​Have you ever seen a conversation like this take place between two believers?

​Believer 1: How is life going, Believer 2?
Believer 2: Oh, life is terrible! My dog left me and I stepped on a LEGO. Things will never get better. Blah blah blah.
Believer 1: Oh no. Be encouraged! The Bible says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Believer 2: Oh, wow! You’re right! Everything is just swell. I think I’ll ride off into the sunset now.

​Believer 1 has just quoted Jer 29:11. If we look at the context of this passage, I think we’ll find that he has actually misused this particular verse (though, I’m sure his intentions were good).

​Now, Jer 29:11 is a source of encouragement for many believers and I don’t want to rob anyone of encouragement. So, I have compiled a list of three reasons why we should rejoice that this passage is not about us. If Jer 29:11 was indeed about us, then:
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Abundant Eternal Possession

I came so they could have life and so they could have it abundantly.
-Jesus

Eternity lasts forever, so not a single day could be added to or taken away from it. What, then, does Jesus mean when He says that He wants us to have eternal life abundantly? It is not that He wants us to have more eternity, but that He wants us to have more in eternity.
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What does the word, “baptize,” mean?

Here are some samples of Greek literature that were written before or around the same time as the New Testament. They all use a particular word in Greek and you’ll find the English translation of this word in boldface. Read the passages and see if you can come up with an idea of what the word means:
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