Original Sin
By Dr. Max D. Younce
0069

Can you shed some light on I Timothy 2:14.15, "And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety."

When Eve sinned, death set in. She would die physically and spiritually (Genesis 2:17). Now, Eve had a physical body that was going to die. Adam did not, for he had not yet sinned. At this point in time, the human race could not have continued, for what nature would their children inherit? Would they have inherited Eve’s fallen nature and ultimately died; or Adam’s nature, and live on forever? Since the Bible says Adam was not deceived, he purposely sinned by partaking of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Now they both possessed a sinful nature, which would be passed on to all humanity.

Notice in I Timothy 2:15 the phrase "in childbearing". "IN" is the Greek "dia" meaning "through". In other words, God will allow the human race to continue based on a condition, "through" Eve’s bearing children.

Looking back to Genesis 3:21 we find, "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them." They discarded their fig leaves of self-righteousness and accepted God’s righteousness of the blood sacrifice, pictured in the animal skins. Had Adam and Eve refused God’s gracious offer, the human race would not have continued as their offspring would have filled the earth with nothing but God-denying heathen.

Returning to our text in I Timothy 2:15, Eve will be saved (alive) to continue the human race through bearing of children, since she and Adam had both accepted God’s blood sacrifice. They were no longer innocent, they had fallen; but, through their acceptance of the sacrifice, they had the new nature of the Christian. They understood that their God-given righteousness was bought by the death of an innocent victim and would pass this information on to their offspring. This helps to explain the statement "if they continue in faith and charity (love) and holiness with sobriety", which they did. That is why Abel brought a blood sacrifice, which God accepted. He was instructed by the first parents.

Not only was Mother Eve to be saved through childbearing, all mankind would be redeemed by the birth of the child, Jesus Christ, who grew up to be the only sacrifice God accepts today for our sin. He was the only perfect person who could sacrifice Himself for the sin of the world, because He had none himself. That Eve also understood the blood sacrifice of animals was a temporary thing; and that a permanent sacrifice would one day be offered by Christ on Calvary is proven by her comment at the birth of her first son. "...I have gotten a man from the Lord" (Genesis 4:1), better translated, "I have gotten a man, even the Lord". No, her firstborn was not the promised Messiah, but in the proper time he would appear.

"In whom we have redemption through his (Christ’s) blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1:7).