Science Falsely so Called - 1 Timothy 6:20,21

O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith.

Paul admonishes Timothy to strictly keep to his calling and avoid opposing false knowledge/science. There are two important principles here. The first is to keep focus. Otherwise known as magnifying your calling. One should take his/her calling seriously without taking themselves too seriously, nor allowing themselves to become distracted or lax in their devotion. Timothy is also advised to avoid contending with those having false beliefs. A pastime which can be wasteful, and for Timothy apparently may have been a temptation.

It is an interesting concept since one would think it important to oppose and expose error. I admit that openly opposing error in some circumstances is the right thing to do - but we must follow the Spirit and be careful in these battles. While necessary at times, it is more important to focus on teaching truth directly rather than debating points of doctrine. When God calls witnesses, they are there to present the truth, not to debate about it. The witnesses' testimony is usually simple without fanfare, and is never accusatory. (Diabolos - a name of the adversary means accuser) When we simply testify of truth and avoid contention, the Spirit will bring the truth of our words to the soul of the honest listener which is much more effective than debate.

The second principle found here is found in Paul's statement that following false sciences or knowledge will cause us to err from the faith. This situation is rather rampant in our society. Many religious and irreligious alike cling to certain false knowledge and even prejudices which they would force upon others if they could. It is interesting how many scientific theories are taken as truths before sufficient evidence is shown to back them up. Such things as the big bang theory and the origin of man are still considered to be theories. The world has found lots of supporting evidences for theories like these, but often, evidence that points contrary to those theories is ignored or swept out of sight. Nevertheless, many theories are widely accepted as fact and hold a sway in society and the thinking of the world.

We would do well to remember that none of us have all of the answers and thus can only have opinions on such theories until they are proven. Furthermore, what appears to be a proven truth may later turn out to be wrong, or only partially true. One example is Newton's laws of gravity. While thoroughly provable, demonstrable and held as truths for thousands of years actually turned out to be good approximations once the theory of relativity was discovered. Additionally, it may be assumed that the theory of relativity is also just a theory until we can understand quantum effects.

The point being, don't put your stock in the knowledge of man. I'm not saying we shouldn't study all secular knowledge, because we most definitely should - but we shouldn't make decisions affecting salvation based on man's theories. We need to have faith that what God has said and continues to say is true and non-theoretical.