Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God

hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and

know the truth.

For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be

received with thanksgiving:

For it is sanctified by the Word of God and prayer.

If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be

a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and

of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.

But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather

unto godliness.

For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto

all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which

is to come' (1 Tim. 4:1 -8).

`If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even

the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is

according to godliness;

He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of

words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,

Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the

truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

But godliness with contentment is great gain' (1 Tim. 6:3 -6).

`O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane

and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called' (1

Tim. 6:20).

`For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially

they of the circumcision:

Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things

which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.

One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are

always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.

This witness is true.  Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be

sound in the faith;

Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn

from the truth.

Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and

unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is

They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being

abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate' (Titus

`But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and

strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.

A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;

Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being

condemned of himself' (Titus 3:9 -11).

In these passages we have a reference to that transition from Jewish

fables to the full blown Gnosticism which was to reach its height in the

second century.  In Colossians, Paul sought to counter a similar `vain

deceitful philosophy'; at Athens he repudiated `Art and man's device' as a

means of expressing the Godhead, and here he speaks of `the oppositions of

science falsely so called'.  Philosophy, Art and Science can all be true and

help forward the Truth, but alas, they can prove to be weapons of destruction

in the hand of the great Adversary.  `Science' in its modern meaning was

unknown to the Ancients, the word so translated being gnosis `knowledge'.