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therefore advises his young people to see such films as "The Clockwork Orange" or "The
Exorcist" before they are condemned. One young woman following this advice saw the
latter film only to be seriously disturbed for some time afterwards: she could indeed
condemn it from personal experience, but at a cost to herself which may not have been
fully paid yet. Several years ago a young woman, of eighteen or so, working among drug
addicts concluded her help would be the more `practical' if she had personal experience.
She died a horrible death as a drug addict herself. `Practical" teaching can have some
very serous and far-reaching consequences.
Yet clearly, if these studies are to be of value, they must be practical and give
practical teaching concerning the worthy walk of the believer, and especially the believer
who is a member of the Church which is the Body of Christ.
In the desire to walk worthy, there are those who look towards involvement with
`good works'. Such would value advice concerning the drug addict, the alcoholic, the
social `dropout', lawlessness or any of the other spheres of popular concern. WE ARE
NOT SAYING THERE IS NO PLACE FOR GOOD WORKS IN THE ACCEPTED
SENSE OF THE EXPRESSION; but it may be we shall find the `good works' to which
the believer is exhorted are not necessarily quite what they are popularly supposed to be.
The question is often asked "How will the world know of our faith, apart from good
works, if we do not show our love?" But who is the Christian told to love? In giving
what none can deny was practical teaching to His disciples shortly before His death, the
Lord Jesus Christ said `If ye love Me, keep My commandments' (John 14: 15). In the
next chapter, verse 12, He said "This is My commandment that ye love one another, as I
have loved you". Again in John 13: 34, 35:
"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved
you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, IF
YE HAVE LOVE ONE TO ANOTHER."
There is plenty of similar evidence elsewhere in the N.T. John's First Epistle is full of
the thought:
"And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loveth God love his brother
also."
Much turns on the question "Who is my brother?" John also answers this question in
his First Epistle (5: 1):
"Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that
loveth Him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of Him."
Paul also indicates a similar emphasis on love for one another: e.g. I Thess. 4: 9:
"But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves
are taught of God to love one another."
Perhaps the nearest Paul comes to telling us to love, or care for, all men is in
Gal. 6: 10: