1 Timothy 2:15 Confounds Protestants

Dear Brothers, I had a discussion which didn’t end well with a protestant who happens to be my roommate for a period of 3 weeks. It concerned family planning. He holds that artificial family planning is not sinful. He also said that “it is sinful to give birth when you know you cannot take care of the child”. It’s obvious he failed to realize that it is God who opens and shuts the womb and that a woman shall be saved “THROUGH” child bearing, even when I tried to prove that from Scripture. He lost complete trust in God and fails to realize the sinfulness of his position. When I brought up 1 Tim. 2:15, his version (the King James version) read: “she shall be saved ‘IN’ child bearing” instead of “THROUGH” child bearing. He argued that the verse teaches that a woman will be saved from death when giving birth if she perseveres in faith, love sanctification & sobriety (i.e. when IN is used). I told him that it may be a mistranslation in his version. I tried to give him example of some mistranslations in the KJV, like the one of John 3:36, but he wouldn’t accept that because I could not provide the Greek version to prove that it is “THROUGH” not “IN”. That is why I need your help on this. Looking forward to your response. May God bless your work.

PHILIP MONDAY

BRO. PETER DIMOND

Referring to “woman” (as mentioned in 1 Timothy 2:14), the Greek text for 1 Timothy 2:15 says “σωθήσεται” (she will be saved) “διά” (through/by means of) “τῆς τεκνογονίας” (the childbearing). In this verse “διά” clearly means “through” or “by means of.”

1 Timothy 2:15- “Yet she [the woman] will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.”

The Textus Receptus, the Greek text upon which the King James Bible was based, says the same.

1 Timothy 2:15, Textus Receptus: “σωθήσεται δὲ διὰ τῆς τεκνογονίας ἐὰν μείνωσιν ἐν πίστει καὶ ἀγάπῃ καὶ ἁγιασμῷ μετὰ σωφροσύνης.”

Therefore, the Greek text clearly says that the woman will be saved “through” or “by means of” childbearing. (By the way, the English translation of 1 Tim. 2:15 in the King James Bible, which has “saved in childbearing,” was not necessarily a mistranslation. That’s because, as someone else pointed out, in the English used at the time the King James Bible was written, the preposition “in” had a wider application than it does in English today. At that time, the preposition “in” was commonly used to mean “by” or “by means of.” Regardless, the original Greek of 1 Timothy 2:15 says that “she will be saved through childbearing.”)

Obviously, this verse refutes Protestant theology in a number of ways. Many Protestants even admit that it’s an extremely difficult verse for them to understand. When confronted with 1 Tim. 2:15 in a debate, one Protestant did not even attempt to explain it. He simply said that “it’s quite mysterious.” Another well-known Protestant named William D. Mounce stated concerning the verse: “V 15 is certainly one of the strangest verses in the New Testament.” (Pastoral Epistles, Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000, 143.)

They find it troubling, mysterious, and strange simply because it completely contradicts their false theology. First, by teaching that a woman must continue in faith and holiness to be saved, it clearly teaches that someone who has the faith (i.e. a justified Christian) could lose salvation. That refutes the idea of once saved always saved. Second, by teaching that a woman’s actions will be a factor in whether she attains salvation (and therefore whether she maintains justification), the verse refutes the idea of justification by faith alone.

The Bible teaches that women are saved through childbearing because, for most women, fulfilling their state of life as wives and mothers, in accordance with the true faith, is what they must do in order to be saved. By fulfilling their state of life they will be saved – “if they continue in [true] faith and love and holiness, with self-control.” The verse also emphasizes the importance of being open to children – a powerful reminder of how God condemns all forms of birth control. That vexes Protestants as well, for almost all modern Protestants accept or practice some form of birth control. Protestants’ acceptance of birth control is another clear proof that they don’t have the true Christian faith. Here are two videos which demonstrate how both the Bible and the Catholic Church forbid all forms of birth control under pain of mortal sin.

Birth Control is Condemned in the Bible (video)

Natural Family Planning: A Birth Control Deception (video)

Since the person with whom you are conversing seems to be inclined to King James Onlyism, he should definitely see this video. It covers a number of very important matters relevant to the history of the King James Bible, Bible translations, and the text of Scripture.

Is the King James Bible Infallible? (video)

Here are some other relevant videos.

Protestants Err on “The Golden Chain of Redemption” (video)

The Key to John 3:16 – An important Video Refuting the Protestant Position on Justification (video)

Justification Debate with a Reformed Protestant (video)

Can a Christian Lose Salvation? – 1 Corinthians (video)