Must a woman bear children to be saved?
Question:
Would someone give a clear answer as to the meaning of I Timothy 2:15 which agrees with other clear passages such as John 3:16-17; Hebrews 2:9; I Timothy 2:1-4; II Peter 3;9; Acts 17:30-31; Mark 16:15-16, etc., all of which indicate God's desire for every soul to be saved. Some would make this passage mean that a barren woman could not be saved. Some believe it has reference to a woman bringing the Son of God into the world through whom one may be saved. What say ye? Remember, "the sum of God's word is truth" (Psalm 119:160). Too, one rule of interpretation is to take the clear passage as the basic truth on a given topic and reconcile the more difficult ones with it.
Answer:
"Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control" (I Timothy 2:15).
The key to this passage is to note that in the Greek "she" is singular and "they" is plural. In Greek qualifying phrases generally match-up to the noun with the same tense. Thus, "they" refers to the children being raised and not the woman.
Just prior to this Paul points out that it was woman who fell through deception, which is one reason why women are to be quiet and not to usurp authority. To balance this statement, Paul states that women (in general) are able to counteract Eve's mistake through the raising of children. When she is able to raise godly children, she is able to pass on salvation to another generation, as well as impacting her own salvation. This is in contrast to Eve whose legacy was the passing on of sin. This also balances out the command not to teach of a man to indicate that Paul didn't mean that a woman cannot teach at all. She has an important job of teaching her children.
To say that a woman can only be saved through childbearing is to add something that Paul did not say. He did not use the word "only." Nothing in the passage indicates that this is an exclusive path to salvation. This is just one of many things that should be done; just as we know that all Christians are to teach others. It is a part of our salvation when we obey Jesus. Women are given a special duty to teach their children, along with their husbands (Ephesians 6:4).
