O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:
21. Recapitulatory conclusion: the main aim of the letter summarily stated.
O Timothy. A personal appeal, marking his affection for Timothy, and his prescience of the coming heresies.
Keep - from spiritual thieves, and from enemies who will, while men sleep, sow tares amidst the good seed.
That which is committed to thy trust, х teen (G3588) paratheekeen (G3866)] - 'the deposit' (1 Timothy 1:18; 2 Timothy 1:12; 2 Timothy 1:14; 2 Timothy 2:2). The sound doctrine to be taught; opposed to the science falsely so called, leading to error concerning the faith (1 Timothy 6:21). 'It is not thine: it is another's property with which thou art entrusted: diminish it not at all (Chrysostom). 'Entrusted to thee, not found by thee; received, not invented; a matter not of genius, but of teaching; not of private usurpation, but of public tradition; a matter brought to thee, not put forth by thee, in which thou oughtest to be, not an enlarger, but a guardian; not an originator, but a disciple; not leading, but following. "Keep," saith he, 'the deposit;' preserve inviolate the talent of the catholic faith. What has been entrusted to thee, let that same remain with thee; be handed down by thee. Gold thou hast received, gold return. I should grieve if thou shouldest substitute anything else. If for gold thou shouldest substitute lead impudently, or brass fraudulently. I do not want the mere appearance of gold, but its actual reality. Not that there is to be no progress in Christ's Church. Let there be the greatest progress; but then let it be real progress, not a change of the faith. Let the intelligence of the whole Church and its individual members increase exceedingly, provided it be only in its own kind, the doctrine being still the same. Let the religion of the soul resemble the growth of the body, which, though it develops its several parts in the progress of years, yet remains the same essentially' (Vincentius Lirinensis, A.D. 434 AD).
Avoiding, х ektrepomenos (G1624)] - 'turning away from' (cf. 2 Timothy 4:4). Even as they 'turned away from the truth' (1 Timothy 1:6; 1 Timothy 5:15).
Profane (1 Timothy 4:7; 2 Timothy 2:16).
Vain - Greek, 'empty:' mere "strifes of words" (1 Timothy 6:4) producing no moral fruit.
Oppositions - antitheses. 'Questions for discussion' (Wahl.) Wiesinger, not so probably, 'oppositions to sound doctrine.' Germs existed already of the heresy of dualistic "oppositions" - namely, between the good and evil principle, afterward developed in Gnosticism. Contrast Paul's just antithesis (1 Timothy 3:16; 1 Timothy 6:5-6; 2 Timothy 2:15-23).
Science ( Gnoosis (G1108 )) falsely so called. Where there is not faith, there is not knowledge (Chrysostom). There was a true 'knowledge,' a gift х charisma (G5486)] of the Spirit, abused by some (1 Corinthians 8:1; 1 Corinthians 12:8; 1 Corinthians 14:6). This gift was counterfeited by false teachers, as if pre-eminently theirs (Colossians 2:8; Colossians 2:18; Colossians 2:23). Hence, arose the creeds called symbols [sumbola] - i:e., watchwords: tests whereby the orthodox might distinguish one another from the heretical. Perhaps here, 1 Timothy 6:20, and 2 Timothy 1:13-14, imply the existence then of some brief formula of doctrine; if so, we see good reason for its not being in Scripture, which is designed not to give dogmatic formularies, but to be the fountain whence they are to be drawn, according to the exigencies of churches and ages. A portion of the so-called Apostles' creed may have had their sanction, and been preserved solely by tradition; but its sole authority to us is its being provable by Scripture. 'The creed, handed down from the apostles, is not written on paper, and with ink, but on fleshy tables of the heart,' (Jerome, 'Adv. err. Johann. Hieros.,' ch. 9:) Thus, in the creed, contrary to the "oppositions" (the germs of which existed in Paul's latter days) whereby the aeons were set off in pairs, God is stated to be 'the Father Almighty' (all-governing) 'maker of heaven and earth' (Dr. Hinds).