Is it wrong to reduce birth pains by taking pain relievers?

Answer

On that fateful day in the Garden of Eden, when Eve chose to disobey God, she ate from the only tree that was forbidden, “but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.”, (Genesis 3:3). Because Eve disobeyed, God said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children” “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.”, (Genesis 3:16). God chose this particular judgment for woman as the natural consequence of sin entering the world.

In God’s original design of woman, she was without flaw, with an immortal body incapable of death, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”, (Romans 5:12). She was superb in every way and would have been utterly blameless in her maternal instincts and how she loved, taught, and cared for her children. Remember, God had already instructed Adam and Eve to “be fruitful,” so the curse was not in having children, “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”, (Genesis 1:28). Without sin, Eve would have been able to give birth without the extreme suffering.

That women face in the present day.

In Genesis 3:16, the original Hebrew term translated as “pain” in many English Bibles is estev, which conveys meanings such as “pain, hurt, toil, sorrow, labor, hardship.” The suffering Eve endured encompassed not only the physical pain of childbirth but also the emotional anguish linked to raising children. Indeed, any mother can attest to experiencing both types of suffering.

Certain women view using medication to alleviate the pain of childbirth as a sinful way to circumvent God’s curse. They prefer to “accept their punishment” rather than attempt to evade God’s plan. However, there is no wrongdoing in taking medication; for instance, using a pain reliever for a headache is completely acceptable. Similarly, using medication to ease the pain of childbirth is not sinful; in fact, it is a gift from God that He enabled doctors to develop such treatments.

The apostle Paul advised women on how they can alleviate some of the pain during childbirth: “But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love, and holiness with propriety” «Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.», (1 Timothy 2:15). The term “will be saved” in this passage does not refer to women escaping the eternal consequences of sin, as that would contradict the Bible’s teaching that salvation comes through grace by faith alone (Romans 3:19-20). The word translated here as “saved” can also mean “to rescue, to preserve safe, to heal, to set free, or to deliver from” in a temporal context. Paul is instructing women on how to free themselves from the worry and anxiety of childbirth. It involves “continuing in faith” by leading godly, Christ-centered lives. By doing so, a woman’s children will come to know Jesus Christ, embrace godly values, and emulate her example.Ample. Although it’s true that the woman “became a sinner” «And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. », (1 Timothy 2:14) and brings little sinners into the world, she can “redeem herself” by living righteously and raising a righteous generation. For a godly woman to know her children are safe and sound in the hands of a sovereign God is to experience peace of mind and relief from fear.