May 10, 2026

“Saved Through Childbearing”

Message by Rev. Alan Perkins

Good morning, and happy Mother’s Day! I’d like to invite the mothers here this morning to stand, if you are able. Let’s give our mothers a round of applause. All right, please be seated. You deserve that, mothers. And much more. Because motherhood is hard work. It is a critical role, but it is often messy, and exhausting, and frustrating, and undervalued. So thank you, for everything that you do and have done. 

Motherhood is essential for at least one obvious reason, which is that without mothers, none of us would be here. Without mothers, the human race would die out very quickly. And alarmingly, the world seems to be heading in that general direction. In just one generation, the average number of children that a woman will bear during her lifetime has dropped by almost 60%. In Italy, where the decline in population has been especially severe, towns have resorted to offering cash bonuses to induce people to move in. So if you’ve ever dreamed about pulling up stakes and relocating to Tuscany, they’ll give you 20,000 Euros to move there.

What accounts for the drop? Lots of reasons have been proposed, such as the growth in educational opportunities for women, or the increasing cost of child rearing, or a general sense of uncertainty about the future. Environmental causes, such as chemicals in the water supply have also been theorized. Child safety seats have even been blamed, because you can’t pile four or five kids into the back seat of a Chevy Impala, like they used to do in the seventies. And so having another child may require upgrading to a minivan. 

And any or all of those may play a role. But one factor that is at least part of the problem is that bearing and raising children has simply become less valued culturally. Motherhood is not honored and respected as it formerly was. It is no longer the norm, but just one lifestyle option among many. Just a generation ago, having children was seen as a normal part of becoming an adult. You weren’t really considered to be a full-fledged grownup until you had children. Today that’s no longer the case. And although everyone values freedom and people having options, when too many people opt out of having children, it creates problems. 

Some in the broader secular culture have noticed this, and are trying to propose solutions. But most of those discussions miss the mark because they frame the decision of whether to have children as a kind of cost-benefit analysis; in other words, what are we as parents going to get out of this, compared to what it will cost us, financially and otherwise? What are we gaining versus what are we giving up? And if you frame the question in that way; by asking whether the benefits outweigh the costs, then you’re already halfway down the road of deciding that on balance it isn’t worth it, and you’ll focus on seeking personal fulfillment in some other way. 

In contrast, healthy societies support having children by honoring and respecting motherhood as an essential role in society. For example, you may be familiar with the phrase, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” That saying actually comes from a poem by William Ross Wallace, published in 1865. I’ll quote one of the verses:

Woman, how divine your mission,
Here upon our natal sod;

Keep—oh, keep the young heart open
Always to the breath of God!

All true trophies of the ages
Are from mother-love impearled,

For the hand that rocks the cradle

Is the hand that rules the world.

That poem expresses the idea that mothers, by guiding the development of their sons and daughters, are able to instill in them the virtues and character qualities that will enable them to develop into mature adults, people of influence and achievement. And there’s certainly some truth in that idea, that motherhood is one of the pillars of our civilization. But my primary goal in discussing the change in cultural attitudes toward motherhood is not to defend or criticize them, but to view them as the background against which we can consider the Biblical perspective. Because the Bible doesn’t talk about motherhood in terms of its benefit to society. Nor does it recommend motherhood as a path to personal fulfillment, or as a rewarding lifestyle choice. And it definitely doesn’t evaluate motherhood in terms of a cost-benefit analysis. No, although it does present motherhood as beneficial, it does so for a completely different reason. 

To see that reason, we’re going to be looking at a passage from Paul’s first letter to Timothy. And Paul is going to examine what being a mother means to someone who is seeking to follow Christ; what role motherhood plays in a woman’s spiritual journey as a disciple of Jesus. So let’s look at that together. And in the process, we’ll also consider how the points he raises can be applied to men and women who are not mothers. All right? Let’s jump in. Our text is a notoriously difficult one to interpret, but fear not, all will be explained:

“15 But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.” (1 Timothy 2:15)

So first off, Paul is telling us that childbearing is a good thing. I want to lay down that marker. Whatever we may think about the role of women in society, or cultural attitudes toward motherhood, the Bible tells us that bearing children is a good thing. Why? Because it is a means of salvation—he says that “women will be saved through childbearing”.
But what in the world does Paul mean by this? Is the process of giving birth somehow redemptive? Does the suffering that is involved in childbirth commend a woman to God,
so that he accepts it as an atonement for her sins? No, nothing like that. The key to this verse is to understand that salvation has three parts: a beginning, a middle, and an end. This is something that I will remind you of from time to time, because it is so important to correctly understanding many other passages in the New Testament. 

• The beginning of salvation is “justification”. This is a one-time event which takes place when we first trust in Christ. It is a legal declaration by God that we are no longer guilty of sin, but that the guilt of our sin has been transferred to Christ, while the credit of his righteousness has been transferred to us. We have no part in our justification, other than to receive it by faith. It is a unilateral act by God.

• Following justification is “sanctification”, which is the lifelong process of being changed into the likeness of Christ. And the process of sanctification requires us to cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s work in us.

• And finally, there is “glorification”, when Christ returns and we will be completely and forever changed. Paul describes this in 1 Corinthians 15:52; he writes that our transformation will happen “in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet”. And like justification, this is something that God does to us, without any action on our part.

So, salvation has three parts: justification, then sanctification, then glorification. It is an event, followed by a process, and concluding with an event. In any given Scripture passage, the term “salvation” can refer to any one of these components, or to all of them together. And so in 1 Timothy 2:15, when Paul talks about being “saved through childbearing”, he’s not referring to the initial event of justification, the forgiveness of sins. He’s talking about sanctification, the ongoing process of being changed into the likeness of Christ. And what he is saying is that childbearing and child-raising is something that God can use in the life of a woman, to transform her character and to develop her spiritually throughout her life. And because of that, childbearing has great value to her, as a stimulus for spiritual growth. 

How then, does bearing and raising children contribute to the process of spiritual growth? The obvious answer is that trials and difficulties refine our character, and that the process of bringing children into the world and raising them to adulthood brings with it trials. I don’t really need to give examples: every parent here can provide their own examples of the difficulties and sorrows they’ve experienced over the years. Because it’s unavoidable. Having children, and raising children to adulthood, will always involve pain and sorrow, along with joys and pleasures. We might wish it were otherwise. But raising children, like every other part of life, has its ups and downs. There’s a Peanuts comic strip where Charlie Brown is trying to explain this to Lucy. 

• Lucy says, “Sometimes I get discouraged.” Charlie Brown replies, “Well, Lucy, life does have its ups and downs, you know...”

• Lucy isn’t having it. “But why?” she shouts. “Why should it?! Why can’t my life be all “ups”? If I want all “ups,” why can’t I have them? Why can’t I just move from one “up” to another “up”? Why can’t I just go from an “up” to an “upper-up”? I don’t want any “downs”! I just want “ups” and “ups and ups”!

• And Charlie Brown says, “I can’t stand it.”

Unfortunately, contrary to what Lucy would prefer, life is full of ups and downs, and that is especially true of raising children. Why is that? Why is it that raising children opens us up to pain and sorrow? Because our children are so close to our hearts. And that makes us vulnerable. In Isaiah 49:15, the Lord says this:

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
    and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
    I will not forget you! (Isaiah 49:15)

When God wanted to give an example of a relationship that was closer than any other, he chose that of a mother to her nursing infant. A mother would do almost anything to protect and care for that child. It is almost inconceivable that she would forget them, or fail to care for them. And yet, God says, a mother’s care for her child is still less sure and less certain than his care for us, his people. Which is pretty amazing, when you think about it, that God’s care, and concern, and love for us exceeds even that of a nursing mother for her own child.

But my point is that God chose this example because the love of a mother for her child is one of the closest bonds that any two human beings can have, if not the closest. Which means that the child she has borne has the power to wound her deeply. And that power lasts for the rest of the mother’s life; it never goes away. Your children can cause you more hurt, and more worry and anxiety, than any other person. Beginning evern before their birth, and continuing for the rest of your life. And they not only can, they will. They will cause you grief, and heartache, and sorrow. Because they are sinners, just like you and I. And because they live in a sinful, fallen world. 

Now, I hasten to add that children can also bring a great deal of joy and gladness into your life, and for the same reason; because they are so close to you. Psalm 127:3-5 tells us that, 

“3 Children are a heritage from the Lord,
    offspring a reward from him.

4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
    are children born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man
    whose quiver is full of them.” (Psalm 127:3)

Children are not a punishment or a curse. They are a reward and a blessing. But that doesn’t eliminate the painful times. And because of that, our children drive us to God for comfort, and they drive us to God in prayer. They drive us to God in prayer that he will protect our children, and that he will guide them, and provide for them, and bless them, and save them. They drive us to prayer over, and over, and over again. Because only God can heal and quiet our hearts where our children are concerned. Here’s a promise from Philippians:

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

(Philippians 4:6-7)

Parents need the peace of God to guard their hearts and minds concerning their children. They need that peace when their children are sick. They need that peace when their daughter goes off for the first day of kindergarten. They need that peace when their son gets cut from the high school baseball team. They need that peace on prom night. They need that peace when their children are taking driving lessons. And they need that peace more than ever when their children are grown and out of the house, and they don’t know where they are or what they are doing, and they can only hope and trust that God is watching over them. Amen? So the difficulties and challenges that children bring into our lives are pressure points that God will use to sanctify us; to mold and shape our character, because it will drive us back to him; it will cause us to seek him. We care about other people: our friends, and our church family, and our other relatives. But no one is closer to our hearts than our children. 

But that isn’t the whole picture. The joy and the gladness that children bring into our life is also a part of our sanctification. Because when we are greatly blessed, we will be led to give thanks. When our children are happy and content; when we share their pride in their achievements, when God blesses them with friends, and even someday a husband or wife, and children of their own, then we give thanks for that. And gratitude and thankfulness is also a part of knowing and walking with God. The Psalms are full of passages which call on us to praise God for his goodness toward us. Here’s one example; Psalm 145.

3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
    his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation commends your works to another;
    they tell of your mighty acts.

7 They celebrate your abundant goodness
    and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
    slow to anger and rich in love.

9 The Lord is good to all;
    he has compassion on all he has made.

Children should cause us to praise and thank God for his abundant goodness, for all of the joy, and blessings, and gladness that they bring into our lives. The first halting steps as they learn to walk. The first hugs. The first, “I love you, mommy”. And everything that comes after. And praising God for all of those things is also a part of our sanctification; it is an important part of knowing him and walking with him. What I am saying is that children expand our experience of both joy and sorrow; they bring into our lives both pain and pleasure, in abundant measure. And both ends of that spectrum will lead us to God, whether in prayer and petition, or in giving thanks. And both are part of the process of spiritual growth.

But what about those who are not mothers, or parents? What’s the application for those folks? I invite you to listen to what Paul says in Romans 12:15, where he is detailing our responsibilities toward one another. He says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15) Now, rejoicing I can understand. But why weeping? Why would we want to weep with one another? And the answer is—because we care about them. Because we are so close to them that their joys are our joys, and their sorrows are our sorrows. And so we feel what they are feeling. Motherhood is just a heightened version of that kind of loving and caring relationship. If we, as brothers and sisters in Christ, are sharing our lives with one another, then we will feel one another’s burdens, and we will be glad when someone is rejoicing. And so we will be driven to prayer for one another’s struggles, and we will give thanks to God for one another’s joys. 

What this implies is that we should not be keeping one another at arm’s length. We should be engaged with one another, and sharing one another’s lives, so that we care for one another. And so when you have opportunities to help one another, to spend time with one another, to talk to one another, please do that. One of my favorite parts of our worship service each week is the few minutes that we spend greeting one another, and briefly catching up with what is going on in each other’s lives. Because it helps us to do what Paul is urging us to do here in Romans 12, to share one another’s joys and sorrows. Amen?

All right. I said that the highs and lows of parenthood will aid in the salvation, the sanctification of mothers. And fathers, too, by the way, but be patient—your day isn’t for another six weeks. Motherhood is a spiritually transforming experience. But it isn’t so automatically. It isn’t guaranteed that children will bring us closer to God. Because as our text continues, we see an “if” statement:

“15 But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.” (1 Timothy 2:15)

Children will contribute to our salvation; that is, they will contribute to the process of sanctification—our process of becoming more like Christ in our thoughts, and attitudes, and speech, and actions—but only if our care for them is accompanied by faith, and love, and holiness with propriety. Let’s look at each one of those. 

• First, “faith”. Why is faith required? Because raising children, more than anything else, proves that we are not in control.  For example, you are not in control of their safety, not absolutely. No mother or father can absolutely protect their children from mishap, or illness or injury. You cannot guarantee their safety. Yes, you can make sure they get their immunizations. You can put up gates to keep them from falling down the stairs. You can put little plastic plugs in all of the electrical outlets. You can do everything short of wrapping them head to toe in bubble wrap. But they will still find ways to get bumps and bruises and broken bones. They will. Children are very resourceful. Some more than others.

And it only gets worse as they get older. As they go from laying in their crib, to crawling, to walking, to running, to driving (it seems like driving happens the very next year after walking), your control and ability to protect them gets less and less. And then they leave, and your ability to protect them vanishes almost completely. And so you have to entrust them to God. That’s the only way. You have to believe that God loves them, and that he cares for them, just as much as you do. Even more than you do. And you have to give them into his hands to watch over them. And then pray. And pray. And pray. Because you are no longer in control. And in truth, you never really were. But God is in control. And he can care for them when you can’t protect them any more. You have to put your trust in him, and not in yourselves. 

• Raising children also requires love. It requires a sacrificial kind of love that will demand everything we have to give, and then some. Jesus said, in John 15:13, that “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” And that is the kind of love that raising children will require: the kind of love that is willing to lay down our lives, to give everything we have for the benefit of another person.
  It is a sacrifice of one’s life, and a sacrifice that may never be fully appreciated. 

Now, does laying down our lives for our children mean we give up all of our free time, and all of our finances, and all of our other friendships and activities? Do we need to be focusing on our children 24/7? Is that our only identity, as parents? No, not at all. That’s not what your children need from you. They need their own free time, and their own friends, and they need to learn to take care of themselves and provide for themselves. They need to learn independence. That’s part of growing up. And we need wisdom from God to know when to intervene and help them, and when to hold back and let them figure it out on their own. 

But what sacrificial love does mean is this: that whatever they truly do need from us—what they cannot provide for themselves, and cannot get from anyone else—we give them. Whatever that costs us. Up to and including sacrificing our lives for them, if that ever should become necessary. That’s what a parent’s love requires. And that kind of sacrificial love can only come from Christ, through the power of his Holy Spirit living in us. 

• Third and finally, raising children requires holiness. In other words, we need to be seeking to honor Christ with our lives at all times. Why? Because our children are watching us, all the time. And we are setting an example for them, all the time. They are watching what we do and say in public, and they are watching what we do and say in private. For example, they see how we treat other people—the waitress who serves us lunch, or the man who mows our grass, or the guy who cuts us off in traffic. And they also see how we respond to those whom God has put in authority over us. And by our actions we are telling them what we really believe about how to live.

And the point I want to emphasize, for those whose children are older, is that this never ends. Because at every age, your children are watching you, to see whether their faith will continue to sustain and guide them through that next stage of life. They need to know that when they get to where you are now, following Christ will still be worth it. So if your children are twenty, they are watching to see what Christian faith looks like at forty. And if they are forty, they are watching you to see how someone walks with Christ in their sixties. And so on. Even if you are 101 years old. So Ruth, Don is still watching you. But I think he’s got a pretty good role model. And then come the grandchildren, who are also watching, and learning. So we need to stay close to Christ and continue to pursue holiness, for their sakes as well. 

All right. That’s a lot to think about from just one verse. I’ll close with this. Children are a great blessing, despite the fact that they bring sorrows as well as joys into our lives. And that’s fine. Because God’s purpose for us is not that we avoid all suffering, but that we learn to rely on him in faith in every season and every circumstance of life, in all of its ups and downs. And he will graciously use the experience of bearing and raising children to keep us close to him and to continue the work of transforming us, more and more, into the likeness of Christ, if we will persevere in faith, and love, and holiness. 

And to those who are not parents, the application is the same. God will use all of the ups and downs of life to refine your character; to draw you to himself, and to make you more and more like Christ. But only if you respond to those challenges with faith and love, and continue to seek after holiness. May we all continue to seek after Christ every day. Amen.

The First Baptist Church of Richwood - May 10, 2026