15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.” (1 Timothy 2:15 (ESV)
Throughout the Scriptures, the shorthand slogan of salvation from God for sinners is by grace alone, through faith alone, in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone, according to Scripture alone, to the glory of God alone. These five doctrines are often referred to as the Solas of the Protestant Reformation. They are also the basic doctrines of Reformed Theology.
A brief definition of each statement is appropriate. The following descriptions are taken from the Cambridge Declaration (1996) published by the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals.
Thesis One: Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone).
We reaffirm the inerrant Scripture to be the sole source of written divine revelation, which alone can bind the conscience. The Bible alone teaches all that is necessary for our salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured.
We deny that any creed, council or individual may bind a Christian’s conscience, that the Holy Spirit speaks independently of or contrary to what is set forth in the Bible, or that personal spiritual experience can ever be a vehicle of revelation.
Thesis Two: Solus Christus (Christ Alone).
We reaffirm that our salvation is accomplished by the mediatorial work of the historical Christ alone. His sinless life and substitutionary atonement alone are sufficient for our justification and reconciliation to the Father.
We deny that the gospel is preached if Christ’s substitutionary work is not declared and faith in Christ and his work is not solicited.
Thesis Three: Sola Gratia (Grace Alone).
We reaffirm that in salvation we are rescued from God’s wrath by his grace alone. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to Christ by releasing us from our bondage to sin and raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life.
We deny that salvation is in any sense a human work. Human methods, techniques or strategies by themselves cannot accomplish this transformation. Faith is not produced by our unregenerated human nature.
Thesis Four: Sola Fide (Faith Alone).
We reaffirm that justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. In justification Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us as the only possible satisfaction of God’s perfect justice.
We deny that justification rests on any merit to be found in us, or upon the grounds of an infusion of Christ’s righteousness in us, or that an institution claiming to be a church that denies or condemns sola fide can be recognized as a legitimate church.
Thesis Five: Soli Deo Gloria
We reaffirm that because salvation is of God and has been accomplished by God, it is for God’s glory and that we must glorify him always. We must live our entire lives before the face of God, under the authority of God and for his glory alone.
We deny that we can properly glorify God if our worship is confused with entertainment, if we neglect either Law or Gospel in our preaching, or if self-improvement, self-esteem or self-fulfillment are allowed to become alternatives to the gospel.
What do these particular statements have to do with today’s featured biblical text from I Timothy? What did the Apostle Paul mean by the phrase “she will be saved through childbearing?” Since salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, what kind of salvation is the apostle speaking of in this text?
The word saved (σωθήσεται; sothesetai) means to rescue or deliver. Within the immediate context, what are women in general saved from through childbearing? The Apostle Paul writes God delivers women from the stigma of originating humankind’s fall into sin (I Tim. 2:13-14).
“A woman let the human race into sin. Yet women benefit mankind by replenishing it. They also have the opportunity to lead the race to godliness through their influence on children,” explains Dr. John MacArthur.
How will women accomplish this noble task? The answer is found in the latter portion of the verse. Women positively impact the next generation unto godliness as they “continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.”
To continue (μείνωσιν; meinosin) means to decisively, actively and purposefully persevere. The areas of perseverance include their faith, love, holiness and self-control. Faith (πίστει; pistei) refers to trust in, commit to, dependence upon worship of the Lord Jesus Christ. Love (ἀγάπῃ; agape) is a self-sacrificial love of the will. It is a love for God and for one another (I John 4:7-11). Holiness (ἁγιασμῷ; hagiasmo) means to be set apart and consecrated unto God. Finally, self-control (σωφροσύνης; sophrosynes) is having moderation and sensibility.
“This is one of the most difficult verses of the New Testament to interpret. The ambiguous words kept safe through childbirth have given rise to several diverse interpretations: (a) preserved (physically) through the difficult and dangerous process of childbirth; (b) preserved (from insignificance) by means of her role in the family; (c) saved through the ultimate childbirth of Jesus Christ the Savior (an indirect reference to Gen. 3:15); and (d) kept from the corruption of society by being at home raising children. The interpretation of the verse is further clouded by the conditional clause at the end: if they, that is, mothers, continue in faith, love, and holiness with propriety. Whatever one understands the first part of the verse to be affirming, it is contingent on a woman’s willingness to abide in these four virtues. Hence the second of the preceding options seems most likely. A woman will find her greatest satisfaction and meaning in life, not in seeking the male role, but in fulfilling God’s design for her as wife and mother with all “faith, love, and holiness with propriety” (i.e., self-restraint; cf. 1 Tim. 2:9).”[1]
“Not by way of preaching to adults (see on verse 12) but by way of bearing children does a woman attain to real happiness, to salvation, with stress on its positive aspect.. The path that leads to salvation is ever that of obedience to God’s ordinances. It is his will that the woman should influence mankind “from the bottom up” (that is, by way of the child), not “from the top down” (that is, not by way of the man). She must choose to do that for which by God’s creation-ordinance she is naturally equipped, both physically and spiritually. She must reach her goal by way of (διά) her child-bearing.”[2]
“The complete thought is therefore as follows: if the women members of the church will abide in faith and love and sanctification, meanwhile exercising proper self-control and reserve, they will find their joy and salvation in bearing children to God’s glory, yes, in all the duties and delights of Christian motherhood.”[3]
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
[1] A. Duane Litfin, “1 Timothy,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 736.
[2] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, vol. 4, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 111.
[3] Ibid. 112.
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