Umntu—Wayengunyana KaThixo Ekudalweni Kwakhe

UYEHOVA uThixo wadala umntu wokuqala ngothuli lomhlaba, waza waphefumlela impefumlo yobomi emathatheni akhe, “umntu ke waba ngumphefumlo ophilayo.” (Genesis 2:7; 1 Korinte 15:45) Emva kokuba uAdam edaliwe waza wathiya nezilwanyana, uYehova wamlalisa waza wathatha ubambo lwakhe waza wenza umfazi ngalo. Yiyo loo nto uAdam wathi esakunikwa uEva: “Ekugqibeleni eli ke lithambo lasemathanjeni am nenyama yasenyameni yam.” Wambiza ngokuba nguMfazi “kuba uthatyathwe endodeni.” (Genesis 2:21-23) Kamva uAdam wamthiya igama elithi Eva (elithetha “Ophilayo”).—Genesis 3:20.

Umpostile uPawulos wakuxhasa ukudalwa komntu nguYehova uThixo xa wathi kubantu baseAthene: “Wazenza ngokuphuma kumntu omnye zonke iintlanga zabantu, ukuba zihlale phezu komhlaba uphela.” (IZenzo 17:26) Ngenxa yoko, abantu bazo zonke iintlanga baphuma kumntu omnye.

Indoda Nomfazi Bokuqala

UAdam noEva badalwa ngasekupheleni “kosuku” lwesithandathu. (Genesis 1:24-31) Akukho nto ibhaliweyo ngabantu ngaphambi kowe-4026 B.C.E. unyaka awadalwa ngawo uAdam. Ekubeni iZibhalo zithetha ngembali yabantu ukususela ekudalweni kwendoda nomfazi bokuqala, akakho omnye umntu owakha waphila ngaphambi kwabo. Amaxhwayela akabonisi kuhlobana phakathi kwabantu nezilwanyana. Kwakhona imbali engabantu bamandulo ayithethi nto ngokuvela kwabantu kwizilwanyana.

Ngokwahlukileyo koko, iZibhalo zibonisa ngokucacileyo ukuba umntu wadalwa engunyana kaThixo waza wona emva koko. (INtshumayeli 7:20; 1 Yohane 1:8-10) Umembi wezinto zakudala uO. D. Miller wathi: “Ibali lokuba yonke indalo yayikhe yafezeka aliyontsomi. Ewe kona yinyaniso ebuhlungu kodwa ke engenakuphikiswa eyokuba umntu wayekade onwabile yaye emsulwa kodwa ke wonakala. Kuyacaca ukuba kufuneka siyihlolisise ngokutsha imbali yanamhlanje ebonisa ukuba abantu bokuqala babe njengezilwanyana. . . . Umntu wokuqala wayengafani nesilwanyana.”—Har–Moad, 1892, kwiphepha 417.

IBhayibhile ithi ekuqaleni abantu babehlala ‘kumyezo wase-Eden.’ (Genesis 2:8) Lo myezo kuthiwa wawukufutshane nendawo abahlala kuyo abantu emva koMkhukula. UP. J. Wiseman uchaza uluvo lwabaphengululi abaninzi xa esithi: “Bonke ubungqina esinabo, obeGenesis, obabembi bezinto zakudala nobamabali abaliswa ngabantu, bubonisa ukuba abantu babehlala eMesopotamiya. Abakho abantu baseMpuma enoba ngabaseTshayina okanye eIndiya abenembali endala njengaba bantu yaye imbali yabo iyalixhasa ibango labo lokuba lo mmandla wawuyindawo yokuqala ababehlala kuyo abantu.”—New Discoveries in Babylonia About Genesis, 1949, kwiphepha 28.

Umntu Wadalwa “Ngokomfanekiso KaThixo”

Xa wayechazela ‘umsebenzi wakhe onobuchule’ ngenjongo yakhe yokudala abantu, uThixo wathi: “Masenze umntu ngokomfanekiso wethu, ngokufana nathi.” (Genesis 1:26, 27; IMizekeliso 8:30, 31; thelekisa amaKolose 1:15-17) Phawula ukuba iZibhalo azithi uThixo wadala umntu ngokomfanekiso wesilwanyana sasendle okanye sasekhaya okanye intlanzi. Umntu wadalwa “ngokomfanekiso kaThixo”; “wayenguNyana kaThixo.” (Luka 3:38) Asimazi ukuba umile njani uThixo kuba “akukho bani uye wambona nangaliphi na ixesha.” (1 Yohane 4:12) Akakho umntu walapha emhlabeni owaziyo ukuba unjani umzimba kaThixo ngoko ke asikwazi ukuthi umzimba womntu ufana nokaThixo. “UThixo unguMoya.”—Yohane 4:24.

Nakuba kunjalo, umntu wenziwe ngokomfanekiso kaThixo ngengqiqo yokuba unemilinganiselo yokuziphatha efana nekaThixo, njengothando nobulungisa. (Thelekisa amaKolose 3:10.) Kwakhona unamandla nobulumko obungaphezu kobezilwanyana, nto leyo emenza akwazi ukuxabisa izinto ezithandwa nguThixo njengobuhle, ubugcisa, ukuthetha, ukuqiqa nezinye ezinto abakwaziyo ukuzenza abantu, ezingakwaziyo ukuzenza izilwanyana. Ngaphezu koko, umntu uyakwazi ukuba nolwalamano noThixo aze akwazi ukuthetha naye. (1 Korinte 2:11-16) Ngenxa yezo zizathu umntu wayekufanelekela ukumela uThixo aze athotyelwe zizo zonke ezinye izidalwa.

Ekubeni wayedalwe nguThixo, umntu wayefezekile ekuqaleni. (Duteronomi 32:4) Ngenxa yoko uAdam ngewayedlulisele kwinzala yakhe ubomi obufezekileyo nethuba lokuphila ngonaphakade emhlabeni. (Isaya 45:18) Kwathiwa kuye noEva: “Qhamani, nande, niwuzalise umhlaba nize niwoyise.” (Genesis 1:28) Kwakuza kuthi njengoko besanda abantu, balime umhlaba baze bawenze ube mhle ngokuvisisana nenjongo yoMdali.

Wayenenkululeko Yokuzikhethela

Ekubeni wayenziwe ngokomfanekiso kaThixo, umntu wayenenkululeko yokuzikhethela. Wayeza kuzikhethela ngokwakhe ukuba wayefuna ukwenza okulungileyo okanye okubi. Ukuba wayemthobela ngokuzithandela uThixo, wayeza kumzukisa ngezinga ezazingenako ukulifikelela izilwanyana. Wayeza kusebenzisa ingqondo yakhe ukuze azukise uThixo ngenxa yeempawu zakhe ezintle aze axhase nolongamo Lwakhe.

Kodwa ke inkululeko ka-Adam yayisikelwe umda. Wayeza kuphila ngolonwabo kuphela xa ethobela ulongamo lukaYehova. Olo longamo lwalumelwa ngumthi wokwazi okulungileyo nokubi ekwakuthiwe angawutyi. Ukuwutya kwakuza kuthetha ukuluvukela ulongamo lukaThixo.—Genesis 2:9, 16, 17.

UAdam wayefanele athobele kuba “wayenguNyana kaThixo” yaye ulwalamano lwakhe noThixo lwalufana nolo loyise nonyana. (Luka 3:38) Ngaphezu koko, uThixo wamenza umntu waba nomnqweno wokunqula. Umntu wayeza kubhadula aze aphulukane nenkululeko yakhe xa enganquli uThixo, aze abe likhoboka lezinto ezidaliweyo kunokuba anqule uMdali. Loo nto yayiza kumthoba.

Enye ingelosi eyavukelayo yahendela umfazi ka-Adam, uEva, esonweni, waza ke umfazi wahenda indoda yakhe yaza yona yavukela uYehova ngabom. (Genesis 3:1-6) UAdam waphulukana nelungelo lokuba ngunyana kaThixo nelokufezeka mhla wona waza wadlulisela isono, ukungafezeki nokufa kuyo yonke inzala yakhe. Naxa bezalwa, abantu baba ngumfanekiso uAdam uyise, bengafezekanga yaye benemizimba efayo.—Genesis 3:17-19; Roma 5:12.

UYehova wenza indlela yokukhulula abantu esonweni nasekufeni. Ukuze kunamathelwe kumthetho kaThixo ofezekileyo, kwafuneka kunikelwe ngomntu ofezekileyo ukuze alungise umonakalo owenziwa ngomnye umntu ofezekileyo, uAdam, ngenxa yokuvukela kwakhe. (1 Korinte 15:22) UThixo wathumela okuphela konyana amzeleyo, uYesu Kristu, ukuba azalwe njengomntu ofezekileyo emhlabeni. UYesu wathobeka waza wasamkela esi sabelo yaye ngokufa kwakhe kwisibonda sentuthumbo wakhulula uluntu olungafezekanga waza waluvulela ithuba lokuba ngabantwana bakaThixo abafezekileyo.—Roma 8:20, 21.