In Training

     I'm sure you've seen some sort of animal show at a circus, zoo, or theme park and were amazed at how trainers were able to transform the behavior of those animals into an enjoyable show. Of course, we have also seen or heard stories of how animals have rejected their training causing injury to a human. Each of these circumstances is explained with various reasoning, but I thought this answer in the December/January 2011 issue of Ranger Rick was quite simple:

"A trained lion, bear, or dolphin, for instance, always has a little bit of wild left in it. Even an animal  that has lived its whole life around humans isn't completely tame. So there's always a danger that the wildness will suddenly erupt, and the animal will attack..."

     These animals went through specific training to adjust their behavior into what the trainer wanted their behavior to be, which included resisting natural tendencies. But occasionally, no matter how much training they received, they reverted to their old ways.
     Just as removing an animal from the wild or raising an animal in a domicile setting does not take away its ability to act wild and attack, neither is a Christian's ability to sin taken away just because the "old man" (Romans 6:5-14) died on the cross with Jesus Christ. If that were the case, then why would the animals continue to need trainers, and why would Christian's continue to need God? His death on the cross freed us from the eternal punishment of sin and our slavery to sin. Now, we have the choice to serve God.
     The day we accepted Christ as our Savior, specific training began to adjust our behavior to become more Christ-like, which included resisting sin. Because we cannot train ourselves to do this as an animal cannot train itself, we were given the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:16 says, " I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." We must allow the Holy Spirit to train our every move -both with correction and encouragement- to help us to reject sin and follow Christ.
     Whether we've been in training for years or for days, at some point along the way we have reverted to sinning. Thankfully, God has been so gracious to tell us in I John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." With that, He welcomes us back into the training program.

II Timothy 3:14-17  "But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."