The Pastorals think that the Gnostic Christians are false teachers and have strayed from God. While Ehrman says “the nature of the false teaching that the author disparages is somewhat difficult to discern.” (277) The Pastorals would not believe that there were many heavenly beings in heaven because they believed Jesus was the only one created by God and set down to Earth to teach. They also would not believe that the Earth was created by an evil or incompetent god because they believed that God created the Earth and all beings and made man in his image. To counter the Gnostic Christians, in 1 Timothy 4:4 the Pastorals say “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, provided it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by God’s word and by prayer.” While Paul does talk about the spirit and the flesh, the Pastorals accept that not all humans will be celibate and will get married and as stated in 1 Timothy 4:3-4, the Pastorals believe marriage is something God created and should be “received with thanksgiving” by people. In response to the Gnostic Christian idea that they were already experiencing salvation, the Pastorals say these people (specifically Hymenaeus and Philetus) have swerved from the truth. (2 Timothy 2:18)

In both Timothy letters, the “profane” teaching of the Gnostic Christians is mentioned: “Avoid the profane chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge” (1 Timothy 6:20) and “Avoid profane chatter, for it will lead people into more and more impiety” (2 Timothy 2:16). In Titus 1:15-16 the Pastorals say, “Their very minds and consciences are corrupted. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their actions. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.” The Pastorals argue that the Gnostic Christians “[desire] to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make assertions.” (1 Timothy 1:7)

The Pastorals urge people to not pay attention to “Jewish myths or to commandments of those who reject the truth.” (Titus 1:14) They do not want their loyal followers to be led astray by the Gnostic Christians. Titus 3:9 says, “avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law for they are unprofitable and worthless.” The Pastorals want people to just ignore the Gnostic Christian’s teachings and continue to follow God and do good works. As Ehrman points out, the author does not attack the Gnostic Christians teachings head on but instead suggests how the church leaders can be more effective in facing their opponents. The best “antidote” for their “poisonous” teachings is having the leaders reside closely over a tight community and oversee that women, widows, slaves, and men, are all following God’s rules and staying in their roles.