“1 Timothy 2”
Saved from the Curse
1 Timothy 2:15
15 But women will be preserved
through childbirth—if they continue in faith, love, and sanctity,
with moderation.
This is a verse people tend to either
avoid or simply fail to explain. The
Ephesian goddess, Artemis, was known as the goddess of midwifery. One of the methods that were employed to keep
women that joined the Artemis cult loyal to the goddess was fear. Their fear was that any amount of disloyalty
would be repaid with death while giving birth.
Throughout history, childbirth has presented a certain level of danger
for women and some women were not able to survive the event. Understanding this fact, when the goddess of
your city is recognized for producing successful childbirths, there is an added
motivation to appease her. Women were
encouraged to remain faithful to Artemis with the hope that she would show them
favor by allowing them and their child to survive the birth process.
As many men and women of Ephesus were
becoming Christians and forsaking this false goddess to follow the true God,
there was still a level of trepidation that the women would be punished for rejecting
her and the vows that they had taken. However,
Paul extended them encouragement as he assured them that they would be spared
during childbirth if they continued in faith, love, and sanctity, with
moderation. Paul made them confident in
the fact that the God of all creation was greater than the goddess of
childbirth.
In conclusion, our dedication to
Christ supersedes the curse of sin and the consequences for our previous
alliance with satan. Jesus has no rival
and He has no equal, so there isn’t anything to hinder born again believers
from experiencing the abundant life the Christ came to gift us with.
