But {women} shall be preserved through the bearing
of children. --I Timothy 2:15
Preserved literally means
saved, and saved, as used in the New Testament, refers to being
delivered from the self and its manifestations. The greatest
hindrance to being delivered from the events that present themselves today is
self and its propensity toward obsessing on what will never help it . . . which
is its self. A mother has a unique experience in that she might be
the most self-centered person in the world, but then in an instant when the
doctor lays a baby in her arms, her self-centeredness gives way to focus on
another through caring for the baby. Life and death for the baby is determined
by the degree to which the mother moves away from being self-centered. I have
asked many in ministry, and all seem to agree that women respond first to the
Gospel. Why? If they are mothers, then self, the only hindrance to
Christ, has been dealt a severe blow in childbirth. With self-life
knocked from the paramount position, the women can more easily draw near to
Jesus, finding Life and deliverance.
"But {women} shall be preserved through the bearing
of children." The understanding to be derived is not that women who
cannot or have not had children cannot be saved from self-centeredness. I
personally have never given birth to a child, and yet I have every intention of
being saved! The analogy is twofold. The birth of a child removes
self-centeredness, and this birth happened in pain. The believer has a new
birth, a new life that has dealt a fatal deathblow to self; because of this
death he can have Life. This birth came through pain.Is the woman's pain
in childbirth bad? Yes, but I cannot believe it is not worth it after observing
the countenance of my wife as she held each of our newborns. Is the pain
of events, disappointments, and relationships really bad when they lead to Life?
No, nothing with such a result is ultimately bad. Children of God
are faith people and the only people on the face of the planet that can say
that.
Amazing that it is so simple to identify our problem:
“self, the only hindrance to Christ.”
Amazing how difficult it seems for Christians to
remove self from the paramount position, so that Life can be found, especially
when every Christian possesses that Life.
Choose Life…lose self. Not complicated at all.
Well, amen.
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