64 truthseeker,

She cannot logically be Eve, the ’saved’ cannot mean original salvation, so childbirth taking the meaning of ‘being raised up in the faith’ makes the most sense.

In Paul’s epistles he uses the Greek word for “saved” always to mean spiritual salvation. In the case of 1 Timothy 2:15 we would need to have good reason not to have Paul follow this consistent usage. Paul creates a term “the childbirth” which is completely unique in the entire new testament. It is a noun instead of a verb and it is definite because it has “the” before the noun.

When we look at a hard passage like this one we go from what we can know for sure to the unknown. We know that it is a particular birth that Paul is talking about. We know that it has something to do with the end result of stopping the woman from teaching. We know that the prohibition has something to do with Eve and her being deceived.

What works in this passage is the fact that Paul never stopped the teaching of the truth even if it was by unfaithful teachers.

Php 1:15 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will;
Php 1:16 the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel;
Php 1:17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.
Php 1:18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,

And because the reason the prohibition was given was due to the deception of Eve (and her being created second), we can know that the woman was also deceived.

So we have two deceived women. One is being stopped from teaching. Paul likens her to the very first deceived woman, but Paul has hope for her salvation because the very first woman received mercy from God after being thoroughly deceived by Satan. Yet through her God promised the Messiah. THE childbearing was to come by way of the very first deceived woman. Through the deceived came the conqueror who would destroy the destroyer. Paul was also confident that this other deceived woman would also receive mercy and she would come out of her deception. She is like the prodical son who has gone away from the Father and is lost in the pigbarn of deception. But Paul is confident that through sound teaching she will come to her senses and she will have saving faith in the Messiah. Two women – two deceptions (but the same deceiver) – one childbirth Savior – two acts of mercy. Paul draws a scarlet line of saving blood from the first deceived woman through to the deceived woman that Timothy had to deal with. It is an ending of hope and faith in Christ that started with a prohibition. Indeed, Paul says, she WILL be saved….IF…

I hope this helps a little.