Question for Bible Teachers: What is the mane of verse 15?

Question

1 Timothy Chapter Two (2)

13For Adam was first formed, then Eve.

14And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

15Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

Answer 1

This was the apostle Paul giving counsel to women and explaining the positive role of women in the family arrangement. He was explaining that woman would do well to be occupied with such activities as ‘bearing children and managing a household,’ a woman who continued “in faith and love and sanctification along with soundness of mind” would not gravitate toward conduct that is not upbuilding. Her spirituality would be preserved, or “kept safe.” If you go on to read 1 Timothy 5:13,14 he contrast this to woman who were unoccupied and were meddling in other peoples affairs.

Answer 2

Whenever I have trouble understanding passages, I check them out in different online versions of the bible.   Here is the best explanation I can find to answer your question -- it is taken from the Amplified Version:

13For Adam was first formed, then Eve;

14And it was not Adam who was deceived, but [the] woman who was deceived and deluded and fell into transgression.

15Nevertheless [the sentence put upon women of pain in motherhood does not hinder their souls' salvation, and] they will be saved [eternally] if they continue in faith and love and holiness with self-control, [saved indeed] through the Childbearing or by the birth of the divine Child.

Hope this helps you!

Answer 3

God is really the deceiver in disguise, and He tells Eve that being saved through the power of childbirth in order to keep her anchored to lust.

Answer 4

I dunno.  Just hire somebody to do it; its always easier and less stressful.

Answer 5

Well, the first thing (hopefully the obvious thing) is that verse does *not* say "she will be saved **by** childbearing" but rather "she will be saved in childbearing"

Now, childbearing - actually, the *pain* of childbearing - is one of the punishments of "original sin", in other words, one of those punishments meted out by God to all humanity as a direct result of Adam and Eve eating the "forbidden fruit".  You can see how the verses are clearly related by this act, I think.  Therefore, I would *guess* that the point is that childbearing - and the punishment that goes along with it from the time of Eve - does not signify that the woman has not obtained salvation, but rather that salvation is greater than the penalties of or guilt associated with original sin.

Don't forget, Adam was not deceived.  He was fully aware of his own crime, and the penalty for his crime was death for all humanity - a much more significant responsibility than Eve's.  Paul brings this out in another passage.  Don't be fooled into thinking that this passage suggests that Eve's sin was the greater.  Quite the contrary, as pointed out by Paul elsewhere.

Interestingly, the New Jerusalem Bible (my favorite translation) takes a different tack, and suggests that this teaching is directed in opposition to the teachings of those early Christians who taught a doctrine of celibacy for all (a doctrine spoken out against elsewhere in scripture).  In other words, the NJB reads "by childbearing", and claims "that the primary vocation of women was giving life and raising children".  This is accurate culturally *historically*, and only relatively recently (historically) has this cultural "primary vocation" of women changed (some believe that it *still* hasn't changed).