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What the Bible Says About Birth
One of the first things mentioned in the Bible regarding birth is the curse. "To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children.” Genesis 3:16 (NIV). Women are to bear children in pain. And while we are forgiven, there are certain consequences of sin that are inescapable. It would seem that pain in childbirth is one of them. Or is it? The King James Version translates it quite differently: "I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children".
Shall we dig a little deeper?
In fact, the same word that is translated as "pain" for the woman is translated for Adam as "toil" in the very next verse! Is there possibly a little social and/or gender-bias going on in the translating here?
As Terry Mize says in Supernatural Childbirth (Jackie Mize, 1995; Harrison House), "The Church has always wanted it to mean pain for Eve. Well, it doesn't mean pain; it means what it says, 'sorrow, grief.' My God did not put pain on them. He is not the author of pain. Pain, like sickness and disease, came in the package deal; it came with the curse or sin system, the beggarly elements of this world. If Eve's curse literally does mean that she will have severe pain with each conception and each birth of a baby, then it would have to mean that Adam and men must have severe pain each time they eat a meal. We know that isn't true.
"What the curse does mean... is that... mankind must now work for a living and must till the ground and fight weeds, insects, and such. And women must have their babies in this inferior world. That is the 'sorrow'."
But even so, we have been freed through Christ:
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every on that hangeth on a tree:
That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
And if ye be Christ's, then ye are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 3:13-14, 29But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isaiah 53:4-5We have been reconciled to God and by faith that comes from hearing His Word, we can lay claim to the freedom He intended us to have in life, and in bringing forth life.
I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly.
John 10:10Yes, Lord! We are your children and we trust in your Word and your faithfulness to perform it!
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