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NASB | 1 Timothy 2:15 But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Timothy 2:15 But women will be preserved (saved) through [the pain and dangers of] the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and holiness with self-control and discretion. |
Bible Question: I would certainly like to know your thoughts on this. Please see my question "But what does it mean?" in response to the same message that you were replying to here. |
Bible Answer: What Tim Moran has already written on this is a helpful insight to do a right explanation of the text. But I would like to add something more. Paul was writing to a church of the first century who was influenced by a wide and large spectrum of what we call the Gnosticism. Even though the thing was at its beginning (in some areas) it is the same philosophy that was probably circulating around Ephesus, where Timothy was). Now, we must keep in our mind that Gnosticism has some bizarre beliefs and one of them was that spirit was good and flesh was bad. So you can imagine already what these proponents were thinking about giving "fleshly birth". To attain salvation we had to advance in a certain type of knowledge (that explains the word "gnosticism" from the greek verb "ginosko" which means to learn). Now watch this. In the area of Ephesus it seems that the influence was to despise the flesh, but also the giving of birth because it was again a fleshly experience. Many people were misled in their understanding of the role versus the value before God. So these false teachers who said that it was not good to take a wife (implied in 1 Tim. 4.1-3). Paul is speaking about the same false teachers here. According to verse 3, it was not only an option or a choice not to get married, but it was a "prescription". So the role of woman was very much despised and having to bear this influence, these women had to struggle in the realm of role to enhance their value. But before God, the value is not the same thing than the role and one doesn't change the other. It is for this reason Paul gave some advices concerning the role in the church for each one of them (men and women). Now, having put the text in its context we must now respond to the central question that is asked here. What does "women will be preserved or saved" mean? Paul is demolishing the philosophy of the false teachers and ended this chapter (even though there were not chapters in the original manuscripts) saying that in spite of all you, (women) have heard from that false teachers the fate of your soul and role and value in society will not be changed in the eyes of God. It is as though Paul was saying: "in spite of all that you heard, you will have the great benedictions and blessings that are supposed to be reserved only to those "initiated gnostics". In fact, they will never have them at all if they continue in their false belief. It is more a presevation or salvation of the value of their role as women and becoming godly mothers rather than just in the spiritual sense (eternal life). I think it is with that that Paul had to dealt with. |