Imbono YeBhayibhile
Ukubekw’ Izandla—Ngaba Kuyimfuneko KumaKristu?
“Ukubekw’ izandla kusisithethe esingcwele sonqulo esiqinisekisa umKristu obhaptiziweyo imfezeko epheleleyo yobomi bobuKristu, simenza abe ngumntu oqolileyo ngokomoya, umphumi-mkhosi, nengqina likaKristu.”—The Catholic Encyclopedia for School and Home.
INKOLISO yamaProtestanti iyayikhaba ingcamango yokuba ukubekw’ izandla kusisithethe esingcwele sonqulo. Phofu ke, uThomas Aquinas ongumfundi ngezakwalizwi wamaKatolika wenkulungwane ye-13 wabhala ukuba “ukubekw’ izandla kukufezekiswa kokugqibela kwesithethe esingcwele sonqulo sobhaptizo.” Enoba oko kuyinyaniso okanye akunjalo, imibuzo iyaphakama: Ngaba amaKristu amandulo ayekuqhelisela ukubekw’ izandla? Ngaba isenzo esingokwesithethe esinjalo siyimfuneko kumaKristu namhlanje?
INew Catholic Encyclopedia ivuma isithi: “Ngokungathandabuzekiyo akukho nto kwiincwadi zeVangeli ebonisa ukuba uYesu wasungula iSithethe Esingcwele Sonqulo Sokubekw’ Izandla.” Ke kutheni abafundisi becawa kamva bavelisa le ngcamango yokuba emva kobhaptizo, kwakuya kufuneka inkqubo yesibini yesithethe, esenokuquka ukuthanjiswa ngeoli nokubekw’ izandla, ukumenza umntu othile abe lilungu eliphelele ngakumbi lecawa?
Yaqala Njani Inkqubo Yokubekw’ Izandla?
Ukubhaptizwa kweentsana kwakungomnye undoqo owakhokelela kwenye imfuneko yesithethe esingcwele sonqulo. Incwadi ethi Christianity ithi: “Ziqonda iingxaki zokubhaptizwa kweentsana, iicawa . . . zikhumbuza abo baye babhaptizwa ngoko kuthethwa kuko ‘ngokubabeka izandla’ kamva ebomini.” Ngaba ngenene ukubekwa izandla kubakhumbuza ngoko ubhaptizo lukuko, okanye ngaba lufihla inyaniso ngobhaptizo?
Isibakala sikukuba ubhaptizo lweentsana aluxhaswa ziZibhalo. Ngokomzekelo, ukufefa iintsana ngamanzi akulukhululi usana kwisono semvelo; kukukholwa kwidini lentlawulelo likaKristu Yesu kuphela okunokukwenza oko. (Yohane 3:16, 36; 1 Yohane 1:7) Ubhaptizo lwasemanzini luyimbonakaliso yangaphandle yokuba lowo ubhaptizwayo wenze uzahlulelo olupheleleyo ngoYesu lokwenza ukuthanda kukaYehova uThixo. Ubhaptizo lwasemanzini lolwabafundi—‘amakholwa’—kungekhona iintsana.—Mateyu 28:19, 20; IZenzo 8:12.
INew Catholic Encyclopedia ibuza isithi: “Lwaphela phi ubhaptizo yaza yaqala phi inkqubo Yokubekwa Izandla?” Iphendula isithi: “Mhlawumbi asifanele siza-me ukwahlula ngokuthe ngqo, kuba sithetha ngenkqubo enye yesithethe kwiCawa yamandulo.” Ewe, kwinkulungwane yokuqala, “inkqubo enye yesithethe” eyayiya kumenza ubani abe lilungu elizeleyo kwibandla lamaKristu yayilubhaptizo.—IZenzo 2:41, 42.
Ngaba inkqubo yokubekw’ izandla iyimfuneko ngaphambi kokuba umntu amkele umoya oyingcwele? Akunjalo. Kwibandla lamaKristu lokuqala, ukubekwa izandla okwenziwa emva kobhaptizo ngokuqhelekileyo kwakukukubekwa ezikhundleni ezikhethekileyo okanye ukwaba izipho ezimangalisayo zomoya. Ezi zipho zaphela ngokufa kwabapostile. (1 Korinte 13:1, 8-10) Yaye ukubekwa izandla ngokufuthi kunxulunyaniswa, kungekhona nobhaptizo lwasemanzini, kodwa nemisebenzi ekhethekileyo ekufuneka yenziwe ngokuphathelele imisebenzi yokushumayela yobuKristu. (IZenzo 6:1-6; 13:1-3) Ngaloo ndlela, ingcamango yokuba ukubekwa izandla kuhambisela phambili ukubekwa izandla okunjalo kwabapostile neyokuba, ngokutsho kweBasics of the Faith: A Catholic Catechism, kusisithethe esingcwele sonqulo esiguqula umntu ngendlela epheleleyo kangangokuba kunokwenziwa kube kanye kuphela,” iye yangqinwa ibubuxoki xa ihlolisiswa ngokucokisekileyo.
Umpostile uPawulos walumkisa ngokunxaxha kwiinyaniso zeBhayibhile ezisisiseko ngokuthi: “Liyeza lona ixesha lokuba abantu banganeliswa konke yimfundiso emsulwa. Bosuka balandele iingqiqo zabo . . . Baya kuyifulathela inyaniso, baphulaphule iintsomi.” (2 Timoti 4:3, 4, TE) Kanti abo bakholelwa kwinkqubo yokubekwa izandla bacaphula imizekelo emibini engokweZibhalo njengobungqina.
Ngaba Kunesiseko EsingokweZibhalo?
Ingxelo efumaneka kwiZenzo 8:14-17 ngokufuthi isetyenziswa njengesiseko sokubekwa izandla. Phofu ke, oku kubekwa izandla ukuze kwamkelwe umoya oyingcwele yayisisihlandlo esikhethekileyo. Njani? AmaSamariya ayengengobantu ababeguqukele ebuYudeni. Ngenxa yoko, aba ngabantu bokuqala ukuba ngabangengomaSirayeli abongezwayo kwibandla lamaKristu. Xa umfundi uFilipu washumayelayo kwelaseSamariya, amaSamariya amaninzi “abhaptizwa amadoda kwanabafazi,” kodwa awazange awamkele kwangoko umoya oyingcwele. (IZenzo 8:12) Ngoba?
Khumbula ukuba, yayinguPetros owaphathiswa “izitshixo zobukumkani” nguKristu Yesu—ilungelo lokuqala lokunikwa ithuba lokungena “ebukumkanini bamazulu” ngokwamaqela ahlukahlukeneyo abantu abaguqukayo. (Mateyu 16:19) Ngoko kuphela kwaba semva kokuba uPetros noYohane baya kwelaseSamariya baza babeka izandla kwabo babengabokuqala ukuba ngabafundi ababengemaYuda abathi aba bathululelwa umoya oyingcwele njengophawu lokuba aya kuba ngamalungu “obukumkani bamazulu.”
Abanye kwiZenzo 19:1-6 babona ubungqina bokuba amaKristu okuqala ayenenkqubo eyahlukileyo yobhaptizo awayeyisebenzisa. Noko ke, kule meko kucacile ukuba isizathu sokungathululelwa umoya oyingcwele kwabanye abafundi kwisixeko sase-Efese sasikukuba la makholwa matsha abhaptizwa “ngobhaptizo lukaYohane,” olwalungasenziwa. (Bona kwaneZenzo 18:24-26) Xa oku kwacaciswayo kubo, ngokukhawuleza “babhaptizwa egameni leNkosi uYesu.” Yaye kwesi sihlandlo, umpostile uPawulos “wababeka izandla” ukuze babe nokufumana ezinye izipho ezimangalisayo zomoya oyingcwele kaThixo ngaphandle kokuba ngoonyana bokomoya bakaThixo.—Roma 8:15, 16.
Ngezi ngxelo, iNew Dictionary of Theology ithi: “Akukho ngxelo ingqalileyo engokwenziwa okuqhubekayo kwezi zenzo enokuphandwa, yaye enoba babonisa imizekelo ethile, iyathandabuzisa enoba ifanele igqalwe njengaleyo isetyenziswa kwabo bangeniswa kubuKristu ngendlela oluyiyo ubhaptizo lwasemanzini. . . . IZenzo zabaPostile zinezihlandlo ezininzi zokusetyenziswa kobhaptizo lwasemanzini ngaphandle kokulandelwa kukubekwa izandla (enyanisweni ezi zihlandlo zibonakala njengeemeko ezikhethekileyo).” Ewe, ezi yayizizenzo ezikhethekileyo ukuhlangabezana neemeko ezikhethekileyo.
INew Dictionary of Theology ifikelela kwisigqibo sokuba: “Inkqubo ebizwa ngokuba ‘kukubekwa izandla’ iye yaba ‘sisithethe esingephulo lokufuna uThixo.’” Enyanisweni, kusisithethe esingekho ngokwezibhalo, kuyimveliso yeemfundiso eziphosakeleyo, yaye ngokuqinisekileyo akuyomfuneko kumaKristu.