Understanding 1 Timothy 2:15 – “She will be Saved through Childbearing”

One of the most perplexing verses in the New Testament is 1 Timothy 2:15, “Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control” (ESV). Although this is a difficult text to understand, the application of this text is important for our understanding of the roles of men and women. There are a variety of questions that arise from this text about the nature of salvation and even how childbearing fits into the equation. I address the most important of these questions as follows.

Who is the “she” in verse 15?

The immediate context of 1 Tim 2:11-12 demonstrates Paul is speaking about the role of women in general. Paul commands that women are to “learn quietly,” (v. 11) and to refrain from teaching or exercising authority over men (v. 12). As support for this command, Paul refers to the history of Adam and Eve. As part of the argument, Paul notes the sad reality that Adam was not deceived, but Eve was (v. 14).

Following this statement, Paul moves on to a major takeaway in verse 15, namely that, “she will be saved through childbearing.” It makes a lot of sense to see verse 15 as a reference to Eve in near context. In light of this, some scholars take this passage as a historical discussion of Eve’s hope of salvation through the Messiah (i.e., she [Eve] will be saved through childbearing [e.g., bearing the line that ultimately culminates in the childbearing of the Messiah]).

The potential problem with the “she” as a referent to Eve alone is the following phrase in verse 15, “if they continue in faith…” Notice the plural verb here (“if they“). Could this plural verb be talking about the children of Eve? It is unlikely since that would make Eve’s salvation dependent upon her children’s character, which is a very anti-biblical concept. Salvation in both Old and New Testament is based on God’s grace, not on works, let alone the works of others (cf. Eph 2:8-9).

It is likely the plural verb in 1 Timothy 2:15 refers to women in general. Hence, it is preferable to see the reference to Eve as a representative of women in general. This aligns well with the overall context and makes sense of the plural verb that modifies the statement “if they continue.” The plural verb specification functions to ensure application to the women in the church.

What does it mean to be “saved” in this context?

If Eve is a representative of women, and women generally are the main focus of the verse, what does it mean that, “She will be saved through childbearing”? This statement could refer to either spiritual salvation or physical perseverance. The word for “saved” (σῴζω) can be used in a physical sense (and it often takes that meaning in Greek literature), but throughout Paul’s writings, it most often refers to spiritual salvation from sin. When Paul refers to physical deliverance, he uses a different word (ῥύομαι, cf. 1 Thess 1:10). The fact that this phrase is used adjacently to the idea of transgression (1 Tim 2:14) argues strongly that this is a spiritual salvation (as is normal for Pauline usage). So, Eve (and women generally) are spiritually saved from their sins through childbearing.

How is one saved “through childbearing?”

The question of how childbearing is related to salvation is important. In order to answer how one is saved through childbearing, we need to understand what childbearing refers to. Some scholars argue that the unique term “childbearing” (τεκνογονία), used only here in the NT, refers to the birth of the Messiah. Since this word has the Greek article, it could be interpreted as “THE childbearing event” (aka the Messianic birth).

Although this is a possible understanding, it would be an awkward way of saying something that is theologically clear elsewhere in Paul’s writings. Further, the use of the verbal cognate in 1 Timothy 5:14 shows the word seems to emphasize the act of childbearing itself, not the child per se. In other words, the emphasis seems to be not on the result of childbearing, but the process itself. As such, it is difficult to say that salvation comes through the childbearing process of the Messiah. More in line with Paul’s theology would be the idea that salvation comes through the birth of the Messiah, or even more specifically, the child who is the Messiah.

Putting salvation and childbearing together

If childbearing is a noun that refers to the process of bearing a child, how exactly are women saved through that process then? Throughout Paul’s writings, he uses salvation terminology that aligns with believers working out their salvation by obeying God’s commands (cf. 1 Tim 4:16; Phil 2:12; Rom 2:6-10). In other words, salvation is always verified by being obedient to what God calls us to.

If the above reasoning is correct so far, Paul is using Eve as a representative of women (whom he specifies in the following plural verb). Furthermore, Paul is stating that a woman’s salvation (and how that salvation is authenticated) consists of her following God’s design for her in participating in the childbearing process. In this way, I agree with many of the scholars who take childbearing as a synecdoche (one part stands for the whole). As is often the case in language, we regularly refer to a whole process by mentioning one particular aspect (e.g., “Nice wheels!” “The White House issued a statement,” etc.).

In 1 Timothy 2:15, the term “childbearing” likely refers to a woman’s role in general. In other words, childbearing is a unique part of the woman’s role in God’s creative design, and salvation is “worked out” by women who embrace their role in creation through obedience to God. This includes being submissive to their husbands, helpers, and uniquely privileged participants in the childbearing process.

So, for Paul, the woman’s value in God’s plan is related to her embracing God’s design for her. Her value is not in attempting to usurp the leadership around her. Now, this does not mean that women who can’t have children are inferior in any way to other women. If childbearing is a synecdoche for all that a woman is designed to accomplish and do, then the application definitely goes beyond childbearing. The main application is that if a woman contents herself in the role that God has designed for her, she is demonstrating her salvation with absolute clarity.

Although the culture regularly indoctrinates millions of women to believe that their value is best found in roles and jobs that are best suited to men, the church needs to remind women of the biblical perspective. Women are designed by God to follow the leadership of their husbands, thriving in the role of wife and mother, bearing children, and raising them to love the Lord.