1 Timothy 2:15

‘But she will be saved through her child-bearing, if they continue in faith and love and sanctification with sobriety.’

The question may then arise, ‘in that case what can women do? Are they to be prevented from having a major role in God’s purposes’ We have in fact seen one answer to that already, she can abound in ‘good works’ (see also 1 Timothy 5:10; Romans 16:2), and she can teach other women, although not so much in theological doctrine as in practical living (Titus 2:4). But Paul’s experience of younger women in this regard was not a very happy one. He thus recognised their weaknesses (1 Timothy 5:11-15). He might have seen it differently today with some women who genuinely determine to remain single. But his argument is that they would do better to marry and have children (1 Timothy 5:14). Indeed he takes it one step further. He declares that child-bearing is a major element in women experiencing full salvation.

So what does he mean here? The first thing to recognise is that when Paul uses the word ‘saved’ it never means what it can in the Gospels, the healing of the sick. To Paul the word ‘saved’ does not refer to sickness, but has to do with the work of God in men’s lives. Thus it is unlikely here that it has to do with the physical aspects of child birth. However, that being said, he does use it in a number of ways. He can use it of a person’s once for all acceptance by God (1 Timothy 2:4; Ephesians 2:8; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5). He can also use if of the future consummation. But he also uses it of the continual work of God on someone who has ‘been saved’, by speaking of them as ‘being saved’ or the equivalent (1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 2:15; 2 Corinthians 7:10; Philippians 2:12; 1 Timothy 4:16; 2 Timothy 3:15; Hebrews 2:10). In these latter cases the idea is of a process going on within the lives of those who ‘have been saved’ whereby their salvation is being worked out within them. They are in process of being changed from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). That would therefore seem to be Paul’s use here. The idea then is that as she goes through the pains of child-bearing hand in hand with Him, and as she continues in the bringing up of those children in the Lord, God will continue the process of salvation within her. He will work within her through what she is undergoing, causing her to ‘will and do of His good pleasure’ (Philippians 2:13), and fashioning and moulding her into His image. She will be ‘saved’ by her child-bearing, being changed from glory into glory, as her children grow up ‘continuing in faith and love and sanctification with sobriety.’ This stated connection with salvation makes this a vital part of the picture being supplied in this section.

‘She will be saved through her child-bearing.’ Compare 1 Corinthians 3:15, ‘he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire’. The fire was not the basis of his salvation but a means by which his salvation was applied to him so that he would come through it finally acceptable before God. The same applies here to child-bearing.

Nor should we see child-bearing as just a secular occupation. It is to be seen as intimately connected with salvation. The truth is that the solid core of the church of God is built on children borne by Christian women. In some ways they are the lifeblood of the church, and the mission field has certainly owed a huge debt to the children of missionary parents. Without them the church would, humanly speaking, have been in a far worse state than it is today. Indeed one of the dangers of the present day is that enthusiastic Christian women, eager to be involved in what they see to be of prime importance, are planning to restrict their families, or not have one at all, thus unconsciously robbing the church of its central base. (Meanwhile Roman Catholics and Muslims are ensuring the health of their positions by multiplying children). The ‘debt’ that eternity will reveal as owed to godly mothers is beyond telling, and their final influence will probably be seen, in the consummation, to have exceeded that of the majority of ‘elders’ in the church, to say nothing of the ordinary male members. For they are God’s ‘secret service’.

‘If they continue in faith and love and sanctification with sobriety.’ Paul is not by this ‘if’ making the continuing process of salvation taking place in the mothers dependent on successful Christian living. Rather he is saying that if God is truly working in them the process of salvation (Philippains 1 Timothy 2:13) these consequences or ‘fruits’ will follow. He is stressing how important their faithfulness to their task is. It is only if they live like this that their children will grow up in godliness, in the way that Paul will leter emphasise that Timothy has (2 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 3:15). The mothers are to put every effort into ensuring that their children continue in faith (being founded solidly on the truth) and in love (genuinely loving God and living out His truth in the world) and in sanctification (being made continually more dedicated and more like Christ), and live serious and valuable lives. And part of the way in which they will do this is by their own example.

So Paul's point is not that their behaviour will result in their final salvation. It is rather to indicate that anyone who fails to live by these standards is unikely to be in the process of 'being saved'. For these are the fruits of salvation, the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:22). Those who profess Christianity but fail to lie like this are like the seed sown on rocky ground, outwardly flourishing short term but destined for destruction. Thus it is not a question of - 'if you do this you will be saved'. It is rather a question of 'if you do not do this it shows that it is unlikely that you are in the process of being saved'.