1 Timothy 2-15

1Timothy 2:15But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.

I was listening to a most learned English preacher on this passage and he said "I do not know what it means!". I thought to myself "what mealy-mouthed British uncertainty". So let me say unequivocally "I am just not sure what it means".
This is undoubtedly a strange verse - not the least in which because it appears to run counter to the New Testament's clear teaching elsewhere that Christians are saved by grace through faith alone and not by works (Ephesians 2:9).

Translational Issues
There are three a number of translational issues that affect how we might render and understand this verse.
The first translation issue we encounter is that there is "women" is not present in the Greek text as a distinct word - rather it is encoded in the Greek word saved - which is 3rd person singular (he, she or it).
The second issue is the translation of the word saved (its meaning) and its referent (what you are "saved" from). In Greek this has a broad range of meaning - including saved, preserved or healed (for instance, in the gospels when someone is said to be "healed" the word usually used is saved).
Third issue is the word is child-bearing and whether it refers to the specific act of child-bearing or whether it can be understood more broadly as child-rearing.

Four Different Translations

1. But women will be preserved (from the physical dangers of) childbirth — if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.

The main problems with this rendering are that it would be a promise with no other precedent in the Scriptures and which seems to fly in the face of the curse of Genesis 3:16. Also - history would show that many godly Christian women have died during or because of child-birth, and if that rendering of the verse were true - I think we would be forced to say "they were definitely not Christian" (as the "test" for true Christianity is faithful perseverance to the end - not how you cope in labour).

2. But women will be preserved (from Satan) through child-rearing — if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.

This translation picks up on the earlier reference to Satan (1Timothy 1:20) and also his schemes (1Timothy 3:7) as well as the concept of God-given roles and distinctions in the created order (1Timothy 2:11-14). Those who argue for this rendering would see the notion of child-rearing as being representative of the entire "domestic sphere" - a running of the household.
For those who are concerned that this is a rather narrow role for women to engage in - Proverbs 31 depicts the breadth of the task of "managing the household" as no less demanding or honourable than work in the "non-domestic sphere".

3. But the woman (i.e. Eve) will be saved (from sin) through childbirth (i.e. the birth of the child) childbirth — if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.

The advantage of this is it fits well the context of the Genesis references in 1Timothy 2:13-14. As well as the proto-euangelion of Genesis 3:15. It focuses the salvation on the one true mediator Christ Jesus (1Timothy 2:5).

Michael presented a valid variant of this version in his morning sermons which was:
But the women will be saved (from sin) through the childbirth — if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.

In either variation there is great comfort for women - they in no way miss out on the salvation on offer in Jesus.

4. For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived (the woman being quite deceived) but he fell into transgression and he will be saved through the childbearing.

This fourth translation is the peculiar to one of my lecturers from bible college (in an online talk I found here: http://www.archive.org/details/Introduction_to_1_Timothy). Its hard to know what to say about this one - it works in the Greek (the lecturer is a lecturer in Greek and did his Mth on 1Timothy) - but as it is novel I have found no one else who has engaged with it (to give at least an opposing view).
The advantages are the same as #3. For my lecturer - it has the added benefit of showing the a mutual reliance of the genders in both creation (woman wouldn't have been there without man) and in salvation (man wouldn't be saved without woman [mary] nor woman without man [Jesus]).

In the end - the one I think with the most merit is #3 (although #4 is intriguing).
Whichever one you think is right - it is still a strange way for Paul to phrase it!

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