Women Shall Be Saved In Childbearing...

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What did the Apostle Paul mean by the statement: "Women shall be Saved in Childbearing?

1 Tim 2:15
Nevertheless she (women) will be Saved in Childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.

Exactly what does the above passage teach? Some bible interpretations include the idea that there is some type of Sainthood associated with the fact that women give birth to children. This conclusion poses two problems - -

  1. Men are excluded from this salvation...
  2. This method of salvation is not supported by the rest of scripture...

The word "Saved" in the above verse is in fact the same word used in reference to salvation in other verses such as:

1 Thessalonians 2:16
forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be Saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.

The key to understanding this passage is to note that there are Two Salvations mentioned in the New Testament. We shall refer to these two distinct salvations as - - - Salvation #1 and Salvation #2.

SALVATION #1

Most Christians are only familiar with the first and most common use of the word salvation as it refers to being saved from the wrath of God. This salvation is obtained by responding to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in faith. Therefore, we are saved from hell, from the wrath of God, but saved unto eternal life...

Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to Salvation (#1) for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

Romans 5:9
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be Saved (#1) from wrath through Him.

John 3
16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be Saved (#1).

This first salvation is offered to every individual in the World through the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ so that they may become children of God, Born Again, Redeemed, etc. It is obtained when an unbeliever responds to the Gospel message by faith in Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins.

Therefore, we conclude that - - -

Salvation #1 is for "Unbelievers Only"

... and is God's gift of Eternal Life to each "Unbeliever" who responds by "Believing" in His Son Jesus Christ. Therefore, that person is no longer an "Unbeliever" but is a "Believer".

Now, we examine the "other" salvation to which Paul refers- - -

SALVATION #2

Now we return to the passage in question and view the complete context, that is, the verses preceding 1 Tim 2:15 - - -

1 Timothy 2
8) I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;
9) in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing,
10) but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.
11) Let a woman learn in silence with all submission.
12) And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in SILENCE.
13) For Adam was formed first, then Eve.
14) And Adam was not Deceived, but the Woman being Deceived, fell into transgression.

This Salvation #2 is offered to Christians through the Knowledge of the Truth of our Lord Jesus Christ so that they - - -

. . . Be Not Deceived . . .

1 Timothy 4
13) Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to DOCTRINE.
14) Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.
15) Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.
16) Take heed to yourself and to the Doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will Save (#2) (from deception) both yourself and those who hear you.

Since we know that Timothy himself is saved, then Salvation #2 must be for Believers Only. The Apostle Paul was not trying to convert Timothy at this point because he is already saved as well as those to whom Timothy is teaching doctrine.

Now we know that salvation to which the Apostle Paul is speaking - - -

Salvation #2 is for "Believers Only"

... and is a salvation from "Deception" unto "Sanctification". The Believer already has Eternal Life (Salvation #1), but (Salvation #2) is not guaranteed or provided automatically to the Believer. This salvation is obtained, not be believing, but by persevering...

A Christian who has Salvation #2 is said to be "Sound in the Faith".

Women and Deception

The act of deception goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden where we find the woman (Eve) is Deceived:

Gen 3: 13
And the LORD God said to the woman (Eve), "What is this you have done?" The Woman said, "The serpent Deceived me, and I ate."

Referring to this passage in Genesis we find that the . . .

Fundamental Sin Nature of the WOMAN is --- DECEPTION . . .

In another passage, The Apostle Paul writes:

2 Timothy 3:6
For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of GULLIBLE WOMEN loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,

To fully finish the context in the above verse, we observe that the Apostle Paul is speaking of evil men who are out to deceive. The word Women as used here (in a negative sense) is a metaphor for "one who is deceived or being deceived". Later on in the chapter Paul says :

2 Timothy 3:13
But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, Deceiving and Being Deceived.

Men and Disobedience

Since the word "Women" is used as a metaphor for Believers weak in faith (deceived), then the word "Men" is used as a metaphor for Believers who are strong in faith (not deceived) as in the following passage:

1 Cor 16:13
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like MEN, be strong.

Young's Literal Translation (YLT)
Watch ye, stand in the faith; be MEN, be strong;

Obviously, Paul is not encouraging a woman to become a man in the physical sense, but in the spiritual sense, it is completely applicable.

Now concerning man and disobedience we find - - -

Gen 2
15 Then the LORD God took the MAN and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.
16 And the LORD God COMMANDED the MAN, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil YOU SHALL NOT EAT, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

Gen 3:17
Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice (i.e. DISOBEYED MY VOICE) of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I COMMANDED you, saying, "YOU SHALL NOT EAT of it':

Therefore, in the book of Genesis we find that the . . .

Fundamental Sin Nature of MAN is -- Disobedience . . .

The New Testament confirms this idea of Disobedience of Man:

Rom 5:19
For as by one MAN'S Disobedience (Adam, not Eve) many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience (Christ) many will be made righteous.

Of course, this is not to say that in all cases, only women are deceived. For indeed a woman can also disobey as well as a man can be deceived. But the Word of God is revealing the history of our inherent Fundamental Sin Nature as it relates to gender. It might be said and is my conviction that when a man is deceived, it is by his own Disobedience that he is deceived, and not on gullibility alone...

Saved by Faith

After coming to the proper understanding of the verse in question, the Gospel of Jesus Christ remains true and the Only way to Salvation - - -

Ephesians 2:8
For by GRACE you have been Saved through FAITH, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

and saving faith is not based on gender ...

Galatians 3
24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by FAITH.
25 But after FAITH has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
26 For you are ALL (men and women) sons of God through FAITH in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are ALL one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

1 Corinthians 11
11 Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord
12 For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God.


Deception and Childbearing

Now we are left with three issues to resolve . . .

  1. What has "Women and Childbearing" got to do with Deception?
  2. What exactly is "Childbearing" referring to?
  3. What exactly is "The Deception"?

Women and Childbearing

Childbearing is the antidote for deception in a metaphorical sense. In order to evade and flee the deception, it is necessary that a Christian have a specific divine nature of Christ. And that divine nature is - - - WISDOM

MT 11:19
"The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her children."

Childbearing

Childbearing is the same as fruit bearing referred to in the Gospels. However, it is a "specific" fruit that is produced, and not just fruit in general.

James 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

The Deception

Just what is the deception that a Christian is to avoid?

Eph 5:6
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

These two issues will be reviewed and discussed in detail on the audio CD available on the media page.

Edited: November 2023