1 Timothy 2:13-15 13For it was Adam who was formed first, then Eve. 14And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived became a transgressor. 15But she will be saved through childbearing if they remain in faith and love and holiness with self-control.
As support, Paul appeals to the creation account of Genesis 2-3. Adam was created first in time and then Eve from Adam’s side. Verse 14 reverses this order by showing that Eve sinned first and then Adam. Eve’s problem was that she was tricked by the serpent into disobeying God’s command of not eating the forbidden fruit. Adam was not deceived (ēpatēthē; Genesis 3:13) but saw everything and intentionally sinned. The second occurrence of the word deceived (exapatētheisa) in reference to Eve is a more intense form of the word, which may intentionally show the danger of false teaching.
The women in Ephesus, like Eve, were in extreme danger of being deceived by heresy. They were not well educated and could have been easily deceived by fine sounding arguments or impressive speech. The danger of following untruths is falling into transgression. Transgression (parabasei) is another word for sin and results by stepping beyond the boundary set by God’s laws. The verb became (gegonen) is perfect tense which implies that what happened to Eve could happen to the women in Ephesus if they were deceived.
Verse 15 offers several more challenges for interpreting this passage. The subject of the sentence in verse 15 is assumed as part of the Greek verb, which is a third person singular. The subject switches from singular woman of verse 14 to a generic she in verse 15. Verse 15 broadens the application from Eve to any women to the women in the church. What happened to Eve was analogous to what could happen to the women in the Ephesian church. Childbearing refers to the act of physically giving birth to a child. How are women saved through giving birth?
Of the many options and possible interpretations, the most convincing to me is that women will work out their salvation most effectively if they carry out their God-given and privileged roll of bringing children into the world and helping them grow in their knowledge of God. Some women in the first century were toying with aspects of liberation and feminism that neglected their home responsibilities. This could create many problems for families and be a bad witness to unbelievers. The false teachers rejected marriage and probably bearing children (4:1-5), and so Paul is countering that by turning to Scripture.
Women can live out their salvation by growing in four qualities. The first virtue is faith (pistei). Faith accepts God’s grace offered in Christ and lives this out in obedience. Love (agapē) is the outcome of obedient faith and impacts the relationships we have with the people around us. Holiness (hagiasmō) is how love helps us become like Christ, who is the image of the invisible, holy God. Holiness has a strong ethical sense that becomes apparent with self-control (sōphrosynēs). This same word is used in verse 9 and refers to a lifestyle that pleases God by moderation, good judgment, and living in a way that brings glory to God. This passage calls the Ephesian women to embrace the best of their culture and not open themselves to temptation by assuming roles that should not. We must read this passage carefully within its historical context and understand the key points Paul makes to deal with a situation where heresy was a real danger.
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