What Does Paul Mean When He Says Women “Will Be Saved Through Childbearing”?

What does the Apostle Paul mean when he says women will be saved through childbearing? That's just one of the questions we'll be answering on today's edition of CORE Christianity. Well, hi, this is Bill Meyer, along with Pastor Adriel Sanchez, and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. You can call us right now with your question at 833-THE-CORE.

That's 1-833-843-2673. You can also post your question on our Facebook or Instagram account, and you can watch Adriel live right now on YouTube and send him a message that way. And if you'd like to email us your question, here is the email address. It's questionsatcorechristianity.com. First up today, let's go to Sharon calling in from Rochester, New York. Sharon, what's your question for Pastor Adriel? Hi, Pastor Adriel.

My name is Sharon. So I was wondering, according to First Timothy, I understand that we as women don't have an authoritative role as in pastor or elder in the church. However, my question was understanding that we do have, we still have a role in the church, like teaching other women, teaching our children. Can a woman still take seminary courses or seminary, go to seminary, to grow in the knowledge of God's Word, to be able to teach other women and children? Sharon, thank you for that question.

I would say absolutely. I mean, I think theology is not a man's sport. It's something that men and women are both called to dive into, to grow in. I love the story that you find in Acts chapter 18, referring to Apollos. It's Acts chapter 18, beginning in verse 24. A Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus and he was an eloquent man, competent in the scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. So you have this couple, Priscilla and Aquila, and both of them together are explaining to Apollos, this mighty teacher, this eloquent preacher, the way of God more accurately. Now one thing about Priscilla and Aquila is they had sat at the feet of the apostle Paul, basically.

I mean, they had learned so much sound doctrine. They were digging in and so they were able to encourage Apollos, this teacher, because they had studied the scriptures, because they had learned, and so I think it's wonderful, and I would want to encourage you, if this is something that you're interested in, so that you can grow in your knowledge of the scriptures, so that you can grow in your ability to encourage the people around you, do it. I think that that's wonderful and I think it ought to be supported. So hey, God bless you, sister. Thank you, Sharon, so much for your call and for being a regular listener here at Core Christianity. We'd love to hear from you today if you have a question for Adriel.

Here's the number, 833-THE-CORE, 1-833-843-2673, and you can always leave us a voicemail at that number as well. Here's a voicemail that came in earlier this week from one of our listeners named Catherine. When Paul talks about women being saved through childbearing, what is he referring to? I mean, surely that's not what saves women. Can he explain that passage?

Thank you. Hey, Catherine, thank you so much for that question. One of the more controversial passages of the New Testament written by the apostle Paul, and 1 Timothy chapter 2, beginning in verse 11, let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach her to exercise authority over a man. I think here, in particular, in the context of teaching in the corporate worship setting, rather she is to remain quiet, for Adam was formed first, then Eve, and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing if they continue in faith and love and holiness with self-control. And so is the apostle Paul, who everywhere else in the New Testament teaches salvation by grace through faith, is he here saying, that women are saved a different way? They're saved by having children. Well, no, I don't think that that's the case.

That would be absurd, right? It would contradict the gospel that he's already preached. I don't think he's saying that you can't be saved if you're a woman unless you have children. A couple of things just for the background here in the context of 1 Timothy. If you look over to chapter 4, it's interesting because he talks about this heresy, this great apostasy that was coming to the church. Beginning in verse 1, he says, the Spirit expressed in the says, the Spirit expressly says that in the later times, some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who, verse 3, this is the key, forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. And so there was this great heresy that the apostle Paul was addressing. And part of that heresy had to do with rejecting the goodness of creation, rejecting the goodness of marriage, those kinds of relationships. And so I think we have to read 1 Timothy 2 in the context of the letter as a whole. And it seems like this anti-marriage, anti-children idea was a part of this great heresy that the apostle Paul is warning against. Now, another way of understanding 1 Timothy 2, that section in particular, verse 15, she will be saved through childbearing, could be a reference, an echo of Genesis 3, verse 15, where we hear that mankind is going to be saved through childbearing, essentially, that the seed of the woman is going to crush the head of the serpent. And so it could be that Paul is referring back to that great redemptive historical event, that prophecy in particular, but ultimately, the seed of the woman being Jesus Christ through whom we have salvation. That's one way of looking at this text. And frankly, I like that interpretation, but we can rule out the idea that Paul is teaching another way of salvation for women or something like that, salvation by works here.

That's not at all what he's doing. He's encouraging the church to steer clear from this heresy that he's warned about in chapter 4, and he's pointing them back to Christ. And so thank you for your question, getting into some deep stuff here to start off the program. Yeah, that is one of the more challenging passages for women to go through, so thanks for clarifying that. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez.

If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life, nothing's off limits. Give us a call right now. Here's the phone number. It's 833-THE-CORE. That's 1-833-843-2673.

Our phone lines will be open for the next 12 minutes or so, so give us a call right now. I want to tell you about something special we have available for you. It's a devotional that Pastor Adriel wrote himself, and it really is wonderful. It's called Seeing Jesus.

Yeah, if you're the kind of person who doesn't like to sit down and read big, long books, this is a great resource for you because it's only about 50 pages, a real easy read. And it is, as you said, Bill, a devotional resource, I think. It's something that's meant to help fix your eyes on Jesus through the Scriptures. And I take basically four accounts from the Gospels that highlight, I think, just beautiful things about Jesus, about his character, about his identity as the Christ, the Savior of mankind. And so I want to set your eyes on our Lord Jesus during this time. Get a hold of this resource.

It's available for a gift of any size. And to get a hold of a copy, you can go to COREChristianity.com forward slash Seeing Jesus or call 1-833-843-2673. It really is an inspiring devotional.

We'd love to have you get this booklet by giving us a call or going online. Again, COREChristianity.com forward slash Seeing Jesus. Well, let's go to a voicemail we received from one of our listeners. This is Stacy.

Hello. We are doing a series at my church on Luke, and we're in Luke five. This past weekend, something really stumped me about the old garment and the new garment and the old wineskin and the new wineskin. And then it gets down to 539, and it says, No one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. The old is just fine, they say. Does that mean new wine needs to be aged and seasoned before it's good? You know, up farther a little bit more, the new garment was better than the old garment. So I just wondered if there was someone more scholarly than me that could explain that. Thanks so much.

Yeah, thank you. I mean, personally, I think that old wine is typically better than new wine, but there's just a matter of opinion, I guess. But I don't think that's what Jesus is getting at here in particular. So let's begin in verse 33 of Luke chapter five. They said to him, The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees.

But yours eat and drink. Jesus said to them, Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.

He also told them a parable. No one tears a piece from a new garment, then puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wine skins. If he does, the new wine will burst and the skins that will burst the skins and it will be spilled and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wine skins, and no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, The old is good. Now what Jesus is getting at here is the hope, the promise, the new wine of the new covenant in particular. And these people were coming to Jesus, you know, questioning him about fasting, you know, the focus is on the old covenant and Jesus is coming in to usher in this new covenant. So the old wine skins, I think that stands for essentially all the trappings of the old covenant, the old religious system that Jesus came to set aside through his once for all sacrificial death. That is the types and shadows of the old covenant, the sacrificial systems. And he's saying, look, we can't fit the new wine into that old system.

The bridegroom is here. The Lamb of God who's come to take away the sin of the world is here. Don't go back to the old. The new is coming. And so I think this is really fixing our eyes on the new covenant that was promised, prophesied by the prophet Jeremiah, by the prophet Ezekiel, by the prophet Joel, this great promise of the forgiveness of sins and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. That's what he's getting at here.

And he's saying, look, let's not take a step back. No, we have something to look forward to now in this accomplishment of redemption that I'm bringing about. And by the way, this is what the author of the Hebrews spoke about quite extensively because he was writing to a group of Christians who were being tempted to go back to the old wine skins, the old wine skins of the sacrificial system under the old covenant, the types and shadows, the Levitical priesthood.

And the author of the Hebrews says, no, no, no, no, no, don't do that. The new wine is here. The forgiveness of sins. Jesus brings, you think even of the first miracle Jesus does, right, in Cana of Galilee recorded in John chapter two, turning water into wine. Again, this picture of God's kingdom, this picture of the new covenant. And that's what we're getting here in Luke chapter five.

Love that explanation. Thank you for that, Adriel. You're listening to Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Our phone lines are open right now. If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life, you can call us for the next five, six minutes or so. So hop on your phone right now, 833-THE-CORE.

That's 833-THE-CORE. Let's go to Jacqueline in St. Louis, Missouri. Jacqueline, what's your question for Pastor Adriel? My question is regarding speaking in tongues. Is this a requirement of a Christian, or is this a gift given to some Christians? Jacqueline, thank you so much for that question. The first thing I would say is it is not a requirement for Christians.

It's not something that any individual can just do or conjure up. The gift of tongues in the Bible was a gift that was given by the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit of God is sovereign in the giving of gifts. And this is precisely what the apostle Paul himself said in 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Concerning spiritual gifts, he said, verse 1, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.

You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore, I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says Jesus is accursed, and no one can say Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit. Now, there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit, and there are varieties of service but the same Lord, and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them in everyone. To each is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. And so these gifts were given by who? God the Holy Spirit.

For what purpose? The common good of the body of Christ. It wasn't about exalting the individual, it wasn't about having these sanctified superpowers, that kind of a thing, no. And Paul makes it absolutely clear at the end of this chapter, Jacqueline, at the end of chapter 12, that not every Christian has the same gift. He asks the rhetorical question, are all apostles, are all prophets, are all teachers, do all work miracles, do all possess gifts of healing, do all speak with tongues? And he anticipates the answer being no, because it is the Spirit who is sovereign.

And so two things here, one, no, it's not required of Christians, and two, it's not something that an individual can conjure up. I've heard, you know, of churches and ministries telling people, just do it, you know, just open your mouth and speak in tongues, and whatever comes out, that's what the gift of tongues is. Well, no, that's not what the biblical gift of tongues was. And so we have to be real discerning here. But one thing, Jacqueline, that I would say, and Paul, this is what he emphasizes in this discussion in 1 Corinthians 12 through 14 on spiritual gifts, the ultimate sign of the Spirit, what is required for us as Christians, is love.

And that's precisely what he's going to go on to say in chapter 13. He says at the end of chapter 12, let me show you a more excellent way, and then he gives us this beautiful chapter on love and what love is, and that is the requirement for us as believers. That's the ultimate sign of the Spirit, and the Spirit's work in our lives. It's the fruit of the Spirit.

Too many people, I think, are trying to be identified with these miraculous sign gifts as an indicator. I'm truly a Christian, I'm truly spiritual. You want to know if you're truly spiritual, if the Spirit of God is really at work in your life, do you have love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control? That is the fruit of the Spirit that God calls us to, and that God the Holy Spirit produces in our lives. Not to minimize the spiritual gifts that God does still give today, and that's a whole other discussion, Jacqueline, related to the sign gifts, but I just want to emphasize here, we're called to sound doctrine and to love, and to the fruit of the Spirit, and so that's what we should pursue. Adriel, a follow-up question for you on the fruit of the Spirit. Is that something that the Holy Spirit does for us, or is it something that we should cultivate in our lives with the Spirit's help?

Yeah, both and. It's funny, I was just talking to somebody about this prior to actually the broadcast today, and the Spirit of God is the one who sanctifies us. Sanctification is a work of the Holy Spirit, but we are called to avail ourselves to the means that God gives us, to put ourselves in the sphere of influence, if you will, of the Holy Spirit, by going to church, by reading the scriptures, by praying and drawing near to God. It is through those means that God works in us. When the apostle Paul commanded the Ephesians to be filled with the Holy Spirit, he's assuming that there's a way in which we can go about this. It's not just like, hey, be filled with the Holy Spirit and hope that it just magically happens, like you get struck by a lightning bolt kind of a thing.

No. In the book of Colossians, he parallels that idea of being filled with the Spirit with letting the Word of Christ dwell in us richly. As Christ's Word dwells in us richly, as we're availing ourselves to what we sometimes call the means of grace, the preaching of the Holy Gospel, God's Word, prayer, the sacraments of grace, baptism, the Lord's Supper, the Spirit of God is at work in our lives to produce these precious fruits. Even those fruits, it's not even primarily about us. The fruit is this benefit for us, but it's also for the good of the people around us, for the building up of the body of Christ. The encouragement to all people is dig into the Word, draw near to Christ, get plugged into a good church, and receive the grace of the Holy Spirit through the proclamation of the Gospel and watch as the Spirit of God produces these fruits in your life. Amen.

Thanks for that explanation. You're listening to Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Let's go to Viola in St. Louis, Missouri. Viola, what's your question for Adriel?

Good evening. I was just wondering, I have in our city where we have some people are running around saying that they are the true Israelites, and they're even condemning, you know, Caucasians. So I want to know if we, the church, today is actually spiritual Israel. And I'm referring to Psalm 131 3 where it says, Let Israel hope in the Lord forevermore. And also Psalm 135 4 where it says, For the Lord has chosen Jacob unto himself and Israel for his special treasure. Yeah, there are a number of passages of scripture that we can go to, Viola.

And the first thing I would say is I think I'm familiar with this group that you're referring to. And it seems to me like they've twisted the scriptures in particular, as so many groups today do. Now, it is proper, I believe, to view the church today, believers in Jesus Christ, as the children of Abraham.

In a spiritual sense, right? But as the true children of Abraham in a spiritual sense, and so far as we have been united to the true Israelite Jesus Christ himself by faith, and Paul says we're the children of Abraham by faith in places like the book of Galatians, Galatians chapter three. Also, you know, I think about what the Apostle Paul said in Romans chapter two in particular, Romans chapters one and two, where he talks about verse 28 of chapter two, For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man, but from God. And so, right, to be the people of God, to be a part of the commonwealth of the people of God, welcomed in, no longer strangers and aliens, that happens through Jesus Christ and through faith in him. And so, in one sense, I think it is fair and accurate to refer to ourselves as the spiritual Israel, if you will, which is not to say that we've, you know, sort of displaced the Hebrew people. I think Paul talks about this in Romans chapter 11, but it is to say that anyone who has a relationship to God and is a part of his people can only have that relationship through Jesus Christ. And again, Paul brings this up in Romans 11, where he talks about branches that were cut off because of their lack of faith and branches that were grafted back into the vine. Or in Galatians chapter 6, you know, as Paul closes out his letter, he says, As for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them and upon the Israel of God.

And so, I think it is okay, Viola, for us to talk in this way. The scriptures do speak in this way. But if we're speaking in this way in order to claim superiority over and above others, whether ethnic Israelites or Caucasians or anyone else, what we're doing is we're twisting the scriptures. God's covenant family includes people from every nation, tribe, tongue, skin color. And this is a part of the New Covenant, which I was talking about earlier. And it's one of the beautiful things about the New Covenant. It's not just one people in the Middle East that God is calling to himself. It's people from all over the world.

That's the beautiful thing. And so the church has these open arms through the preaching of the gospel, welcoming in all people. And we're saying, look, be united to Jesus by faith and be the true children of Abraham. And that's what we are by faith in Jesus Christ. And so thank you for your question, sister, and may God bless you. Thanks so much, Viola. You're listening to Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Let's go to Frank in Junction City, Kansas. Frank, what's your question for Pastor Adriel?

Yes, sir. It's kind of expounding upon what the sister just asked about the tongues. My friend, who's a preacher, he says, you're not born again unless you're born of water and spirit. He takes you to John 3 and 5. And he says, when you look up the Greek word for born again, and he says, John 3 and 8, the wind, talking about the wind right there, it's glossileia, which is the same Greek, and he was saying for tongues, which is, he said, throughout church history, you'll never find anyone that receives faith. It was always in Acts chapter 2, they got the tongues, and Acts chapter 8, Acts chapter 10, and Acts chapter 17. And he was like, and they asked, they said, well, we believe in John's baptism.

We never such heard of the Holy Spirit. And they said, when they laid their hands on, they began to spoke with tongues. And he said, don't you want the same experience that the apostles got? And so I was telling them, well, I believe, you know, it's more than, because Barnabas, I told him, I said, well, Barnabas said it was filled with the Holy Ghost, and he didn't speak in tongues. So I was just kind of wondering, what do you say to that when they take you to the Greek and they're showing you throughout church? Oh yeah, Mark 16, 17, he said, well, Jesus said it, and you shall be the signs that come among them. You shall speak in tongues, you shall drink poisonous things, and you shall cast out serpents.

Yeah, so just a few things there. One, I would, just initially, I would say, Paul makes it absolutely clear in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, that not every believer has the gift of tongues. And so if we're associating it with being born again and the born again experience, it sounded to me like he was trying to say that the Greek of John chapter three indicated this.

I don't think that that's the case at all. I'd have to know where he was pointing to in particular, but the word for born again there is not the same word for tongues in the New Testament. And so I need some more information, but at the end of the day, right, we're not saved by our spiritual experience, by our manifestation of these gifts.

We're saved by the Holy Spirit applying that salvation to us, the salvation that Christ has accomplished by faith. And so that kind of thing concerns me. Brother, maybe we can follow up some more on a future episode. Thanks for listening to CORE Christianity. To request your copy of today's special offer, visit us at corechristianity.com and click on offers in the menu bar or call us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 833-THE-CORE. When you contact us, please let us know how you've been encouraged by this program. And be sure to join us next time as we explore the truth of God's word together.