1 Timothy 2: 13-15

1Ti 2:13  For God made Adam first, and afterward he made Eve. 1Ti 2:14  And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result. 1Ti 2:15  But women will be saved through childbearing, assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.

Another shot at women or so it appears but remember this was a burgeoning church with a lot of false prophets.  Read this first I will highlight some important parts: Ephesians 5:21-33 The Living Bible 

²¹ Honor Christ by submitting to each other. ²² You wives must submit to your husbands’ leadership in the same way you submit to the Lord. ²³ For a husband is in charge of his wife in the same way Christ is in charge of his body the Church. (He gave his very life to take care of it and be its Savior!) ²⁴ So you wives must willingly obey your husbands in everything, just as the Church obeys Christ.²⁵ And you husbands, show the same kind of love to your wives as Christ showed to the Church when he died for her, ²⁶ to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God’s Word;^{[a] 27} so that he could give her to himself as a glorious Church without a single spot or wrinkle or any other blemish, being holy and without a single fault. ²⁸ That is how husbands should treat their wives, loving them as parts of themselves. For since a man and his wife are now one, a man is really doing himself a favor and loving himself when he loves his wife! ^29-30 No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for it, just as Christ cares for his body the Church, of which we are parts.³¹ (That the husband and wife are one body is proved by the Scripture, which says, “A man must leave his father and mother when he marries so that he can be perfectly joined to his wife, and the two shall be one.”) ³² I know this is hard to understand, but it is an illustration of the way we are parts of the body of Christ.³³ So again I say, a man must love his wife as a part of himself; and the wife must see to it that she deeply respects her husband—obeying, praising, and honoring him.

Okay here is the short version. A woman and a man that marry are one. Should Eve have taken the fruit without consulting Adam? They were one so it would affect both of them. Adam on the other hand did not take the lead on this. He could have refused to eat the fruit but didn't. The man is the spiritual leader or he is supposed to be. Should a wife submit to her husband the answer is above. If the man meets Paul's criteria I think she should, if he does not meet Paul's criteria then the answer is no. This verse is about communication between a wife and a husband. In Ephesus there were non-Christian preachers and the men were not disavowing them. the same went for the women that were preaching. There were men sent by God to help them and that was who they should have listen to. The men needed to heed that preaching and then passing it on to the wives so the correct word was being given. Remember also that women in this era were not taught to read or write nor were most of the men so the letters from Paul had to be read by a learned man and stated correctly.

The last verse is another debated verse. I will again give you what the Life Application New Testament Commentary has to say: 2:15 The phrase saved through childbearing has been understood in several ways:

1. The childbearing mentioned here refers to the birth of Jesus Christ. Women (and men) are saved spiritually because of the most important birth, that of Christ himself. This argument is based on a very obscure reference to Christ and the Incarnation. It would be unlikely for Paul to be so indirect.

2. Man sinned, so men were condemned to painful labor. Woman also sinned, so women were condemned to pain in childbearing. Pain caused a serious complication, but childbearing was not the curse. Both men and women, however, can be saved through trusting Christ and obeying him. Although this is true, it does not seem as forceful in light of the context.

3. From the lessons learned through the trials of childbearing, women can develop qualities that teach them about love, trust, submission, and service. Although this is true, it hardly seems to be the main point.

4. Women who fulfill their God-given roles of childbearing and child rearing are demonstrating true commitment and obedience to Christ. One of the most important roles for a wife and mother is to care for her family. This seems to be the most legitimate interpretation in light of the larger context and also in reference to 1Ti_5:3-15. The women in Ephesus were abandoning their God-given purpose because of the false teachers. So Paul was telling them that caring for their families, or remarrying if they were younger widows, was one way for them to remain effective and to live faithful lives of service. By means of bearing children, raising them, and fulfilling their design, women would be saved from the evils of Ephesian society and maintain a pure testimony to the lordship of Christ. Paul placed before the women of Ephesus the goal to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.

Scholars have written many volumes to present various views of the role of women in worship and leadership. There seems to be enough evidence and divided opinion to conclude that the complete answer cannot be derived from 1 Timothy. Church bodies have to decide the issue for their own congregations. Nonetheless, we would do well to consider the following statements:

·Scripture must be regarded in context. Paul gave other teachings about male/female relationships; all must be considered.

·Paul’s clear teachings must be used to clarify what seems less clear.

·Though Scripture is not bound to culture, it is definitely targeted to culture. Paul was focusing on the Ephesians’ problem.

·Remember Paul’s missionary strategy. His local strategy for Ephesus may not be normative for all time.

·We must be consistent. If we allow women to wear jewelry, but do not permit them to teach, we may be guilty of selectiveness.

·We must not let culture define how the church is run. If culture dictated a militant feminism, we should be against it. But if culture dictated a view of women more subordinated than the Bible suggests, we should oppose that as well.

Dave