Ngaba UThixo Sele Elimisele Ikamva Lethu?

“IINGXAKI ezininzi ezithelekelelwayo bezinokuphetshwa ukuba belingasetyenziswa kwaphela ibinzana ngokufuthi elingaqondwa kakuhle elithi ukumiselwa kusengaphambili.” Usenokuzibuza ukuba kuthetha ntoni oko, ukuba ukhe walisebenzisa okanye weva lisetyenziswa ibinzana elithi “ukumiselwa kusengaphambili.”

Ngokutsho kwentyilalwazi yakutshanje yamaKatolika yesiFrentshi iThéo, bubulumko ukungalisebenzisi ibinzana elithi “ukumiselwa kusengaphambili.” Enye incwadi ithi: “Namhlanje, kubonakala ngathi iingxoxo zezakwalizwi azisasekelwanga kumbandela wokumiselwa kusengaphambili, kwanakumaProtestanti amaninzi.”

Sekunjalo, umbandela wokumiselwa kusengaphambili uphazamise abantu abaninzi kwimbali yonke. Impikiswano eyakhokelela kuHlaziyo yayisekelwe kuwo, yaye kwanakwiCawa yamaKatolika, wabangela iingxoxo ezishushu kangangeenkulungwane. Nangona kungasaxoxwa kakhulu ngawo namhlanje, useyingxaki. Ngubani obengayi kufuna ukwazi enoba ikamva lakhe lamiselwa kusengaphambili kusini na?

Ukumiselwa Kusengaphambili—Intsingiselo Yeli Binzana

Lithetha ntoni ibinzana elithi “ukumiselwa kusengaphambili” ezicaweni? IDictionnaire de théologie catholique ithi lithetha “injongo kaThixo yokukhokelela abathile, abaziwa ngamagama, kubomi obungunaphakade.” Abantu abaninzi bacinga ukuba umpostile uPawulos wayebhekisela kwabanyuliweyo, “abaziwa ngamagama,” kwincwadi yakhe eya kwabaseRoma, xa wayesithi: “Zonke izinto zisebenziselana okulungileyo kwabo bamthandayo uThixo, kwababiziweyo ngokwengqibo yakhe. Ngokuba abo wabaziyo ngenxa engaphambili, wabamisela ngenxa engaphambili ukuba bafane nomfanekiselo woNyana wakhe . . . Abo ke wabamisayo ngenxa engaphambili, wabuya wababiza bona; waza abo wababizayo, wabuya wabagwebela bona; abo ke wabagwebelayo, wabuya wabazukisa nokubazukisa bona.”—Roma 8:28-30.

Kukho inkolo yokuba, bengekazalwa, abantu abathile bakhethwa nguThixo ukuze badlelane noKristu kuzuko lwakhe emazulwini. Oku kukhokelela kumbandela ekudala uxoxwa: Ngaba uThixo uyazikhethela lowo afuna ukumsindisa, okanye ngaba abantu banenkululeko yokuzikhethela nendima abanokuyiphumeza ekufumaneni nasekulondolozeni inkoliseko kaThixo?

UAugustine, UmSeki Wokumiselwa Kusengaphambili

Nangona abanye abaSeki beCawa babebhalile ngaphambilana ngokumiselwa kusengaphambili, abantu abaninzi bathi nguAugustine (354-430 C.E.) owabeka isiseko sale mfundiso kwiicawa zamaKatolika nezamaProtestanti. Ngokutsho kuka-Augustine, uThixo wawamisela kwasephakadeni amalungisa ukuba afumane iintsikelelo ezingunaphakade. Kwelinye icala, abangemalungisa, nangona uThixo engabamiseli kusengaphambili ngokuthe ngqo, baya kufumana isohlwayo esibafaneleyo ngenxa yezono zabo, ukugwetywa. Inkcazelo ka-Augustine yayingayivumeli kangako inkululeko yokuzikhethela, ngaloo ndlela ivula ithuba lempikiswano engathethekiyo.

Amalandela Ka-Augustine

Ingxoxo engokumiselwa kusengaphambili nenkululeko yokuzikhethela yayiman’ ivela ebudeni bamaXesha Aphakathi, yaye yafikelela uvuthondaba ebudeni boHlaziyo. ULuther wayekholelwa ukuba uThixo unenkululeko yokukhetha ukulimisela kusengaphambili ikamva labantu, oko ekwenza engabubonanga kusengaphambili ubuntu okanye izenzo ezilungileyo zexa elizayo zabo banyuliweyo. UCalvin wafikelela kwisigqibo esinzulu ngakumbi ngengcamango yakhe entlu-mbini yokumiselwa kusengaphambili: Bambi bamiselwa kusengaphambili ukuba baya kusindiswa ngonaphakade, yaye abanye ukuba baya kugwetywa ngonaphakade. Noko ke, noCalvin wayekholelwa ukuba indlela akhetha ngayo uThixo ayifanelekanga, yaye ayiqondakali.

Imbambano yokumiselwa kusengaphambili nombandela onxulumene nayo “wobabalo”—igama elisetyenziswa ziicawa ukubonisa indlela athi uThixo asindise aze avakalise abantu bengamalungisa ngayo—yaba nkulu kangangokuba ngowe-1611 iofisi kaPopu wamaKatolika yakwalela ukupapashwa kwayo nantoni na ephathelele lo mbandela ngaphandle kwemvume yayo. KwiCawa yamaKatolika, iimfundiso zika-Augustine zafumana inkxaso kubalandeli bakaJansen abangamaFrentshi benkulungwane ye-17 neye-18. Ezi mfundiso zazithethelela uhlobo lobuKristu obungqongqo nobuyilwe liqelana elinamandla kwaye zalandelwa kwanangabalawuli abathile. Ukanti, impikiswano ngalo mbandela ayizange ithothe. UKumkani uLouis XIV wayalela ukuba kutshatyalaliswe indlu yeemonki yasePort-Royal, apho zaziqanduselwe khona iingcamango zabalandeli bakaJansen.

Ingxoxo yayingekazi kuphela, kwiicawa eziHlaziyiweyo zamaProtestanti. Likunye namanye amahlelo, iqela lamaRemonstrant, elalilandela uJacobus Arminius, lalikholelwa ukuba umntu unendima afanele ayiphumeze ekusindisweni kwakhe. IBhunga Labaphathi Becawa yamaProtestanti laseDordrecht (1618-19) layizinzisa okwexeshana le mbambano xa laqalisa uhlobo olungqongqo lobuothodoki bukaCalvin. Ngokutsho kwencwadi ethi L’Aventure de la Réforme—Le monde de Jean Calvin, kwelaseJamani le mpikiswano yokumiselwa kusengaphambili nenkululeko yokuzikhethela yakhokelela kwixesha elide “lemizamo engaphumeleliyo yokuphelisa ukungavisisani, kwanokuphathwa kakubi, ukuvalelwa ezintolongweni, nokugxothwa kwabafundi ngezakwalizwi kumazwe abo.”

Ngaba Abantu Bamiselwa Kusengaphambili Okanye Banenkululeko Yokuzikhethela?

Kwasekuqaleni, ezi ngcamango zahluke ngokupheleleyo, ukumiselwa kusengaphambili nenkululeko yokuzikhethela, zabangela iimpikiswano ezininzi ezishushu. UAugustine akazange akwazi ukusicacisa isizathu soku kungavisisani. NoCalvin wayenembono yokuba oku kubonakalisa ukuthanda kukaThixo okongamileyo yaye ngenxa yoko akunakucaciswa.

Kodwa ngaba oko isixelela kona iBhayibhile ngeempawu nobuntu bukaThixo kuyasinceda sicacelwe ngakumbi yile mibuzo? Inqaku elilandelayo liza kuxubusha ezi ngongoma ngokweenkcukacha.

[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 4]

UCalvin

ULuther

UJansen

[Inkcazelo]

Pictures: Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris