Intsinda-badala Ngemfundiso Yezakwalizwi

“INGCAMANGO yokungafi komphefumlo nokholo eluvukweni lwabafileyo . . . ziingcamango ezimbini ezahluke ngokupheleleyo, ekufuneka kwenziwe ukhetho phakathi kwazo.” La mazwi kaPhilippe Menoud ashwankathela intsinda-badala abajamelene nayo abefundisi bezakwalizwi bamaProtestanti nabamaKatolika ngokuphathelele imeko yabafi. IBhayibhile ithetha ngethemba lovuko “ngomhla wokugqibela.” (Yohane 6:39, 40, 44, 54) Umfundisi wezakwalizwi uGisbert Greshake uthi, kodwa ithemba lamakholwa amaninzi, “lisekelwe kumphefumlo ongafiyo, owahlukana nomzimba ekufeni uze ubuyele kuThixo, ngoxa ithemba eluvukweni liye ubukhulu becala, lathi shwaka, mhlawumbi ngokupheleleyo.”

Kuloo meko, kuphakama ingxaki enkulu, njengoko uBernard Sesboüé esithi: “Iyintoni imeko yabafi ‘kwithuba’ eliphakathi kokufa komzimba wabo novuko lokugqibela?” Loo mbuzo ubonakala ngathi ubungundoqo wengxoxo yezakwalizwi kwiminyaka embalwa edluleyo. Yintoni eyakhokelela kuwo? Yaye okubaluleke ngakumbi kukuba, liyintoni ithemba lokwenene ngabafi?

Ukuvela Nokukhula Kwale Ntsinda-badala

AmaKristu okuqala ayewuqonda ngokucacileyo lo mbandela. Ayesazi ngokusuka eZibhalweni ukuba abafi abazi nto, kuba iZibhalo zesiHebhere zithi: “Ngokuba abadla ubomi bayazi ukuba baya kufa; ke bona abafileyo abazi lutho . . . Akukho kwenza, nakucinga, nakwazi, nakulumka kwelabafileyo, apho uya khona wena.” (INtshumayeli 9:5, 10) Loo maKristu ayenethemba lokuba uvuko luya kubakho ebudeni bexesha elizayo “ekufikeni kweNkosi.” (1 Tesalonika 4:13-17) Ayengalindelanga ukuba abe sezingqondweni ndaweni ithile ngoxa ayelindele eso sihlandlo. UJoseph Ratzinger, ngoku oyinkokeli yeVatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, uthi: “KwiCawa yamandulo kwakungekho mfundiso iqinisekileyo ngokungafi komphefumlo.”

Noko ke, iNuovo dizionario di teologia, icacisa ukuba xa sifunda imibhalo yabaSeki beCawa, abanjengoAugustine okanye uAmbrose, “siye sazi okuthile okutsha ngokuphathelele imbali yeBhayibhile—ukuvela kwemfundiso yamaGrike engeziganeko zokuphela kwehlabathi kunye noluntu, ngokusisiseko eyahlukileyo kweyamaYuda namaKristu.” Le mfundiso intsha yayisekelwe “ekungafini komphefumlo, ukugwetywa komntu ngamnye ngokunikwa umvuzo okanye ohlwaywe ngokukhawuleza emva kokufa.” Ngenxa yoku, kwaphakanyiswa umbuzo ngokuphathelele “imeko yethuba eliphakathi” :Ukuba umphefumlo uyasinda ekufeni komzimba, kwenzeka ntoni kuwo ngoxa ulindele uvuko “ngomhla wokugqibela”? Le yintsinda-badala abefundisi bezakwalizwi abaye batsala nzima bezama ukuyicombulula.

Ngenkulungwane yesithandathu yeXesha Eliqhelekileyo, uPopu Gregory I wathi ekufeni ngokukhawuleza imiphefumlo iya endaweni yayo eyimiselweyo. UPopu John XXII wenkulungwane ye-14 wayeyisekile kukuba abafi banokufumana umvuzo wabo wokugqibela ngeMini Yomgwebo. Noko ke, uPopu Benedict XII, wayiphikisa ingcamango yabanduleli bakhe. Kumyalelo wecawa oyiBenedictus Deus (1336), wathi “imiphefumlo yabafi ifumana uyolo ngokupheleleyo [ezulwini], iyahlanjululwa [kwindawo yentlambululo-miphefumlo], okanye igwetywe [esihogweni] ngokukhawuleza emva kokufa, ukuze ihlanganiswe nemizimba yayo evusiweyo ekupheleni kwehlabathi.”

Phezu kwayo nje impikiswano nengxoxo, le ibe yimbono yeecawa zeNgqobhoko kangangeenkulungwane, nangona iicawa zamaProtestanti nezobuOthodoki ngokubanzi zingakholelwa kwindawo yentlambululo-miphefumlo. Noko ke, ukususela ekupheleni kwenkulungwane edluleyo, inani elandayo labaphengululi liye labonisa ngokuphandle ukuba imfundiso yokungafi komphefumlo ayinamvelaphi yeBhayibhile, yaye ngokomphumo, “ngokufuthi izifundo zezakwalizwi ngoku zizama ukumgqala umntu njengembumba echithakala ngokupheleleyo ekufeni.” (The Encyclopedia of Religion) Ngoko ke, abagqabazi ngeBhayibhile, bakufumana kunzima ukuthethelela ubukho “bemeko yethuba eliphakathi.” Ngaba iBhayibhile iyathetha ngalo, okanye ngaba inikela ithemba elahlukileyo?

Ngaba UPawulos Wayekholelwa “Kwimeko Yethuba Eliphakathi”?

ICatechism of the Catholic Church ithi: “Ukuze sinyuke noKristu, simele sife noKristu: simele ‘sibe kude nomzimba sibe sekhaya neNkosi’. [2 Korinte 5:8] Kolo ‘hambo’ lukukufa umphefumlo uyahlukaniswa nomzimba. [Filipi 1:23] Uya kuhlanganiswa nomzimba ngomhla wovuko lwabafileyo.” Kodwa kule mibhalo icatshulwe apha, ngaba umpostile uPawulos uthi umphefumlo uyasinda ekufeni komzimba wandule ke ulindele “uMgwebo Wokugqibela” ukuze uhlanganiswe nomzimba?

Kweyesi-2 kwabaseKorinte 5:1, uPawulos ubhekisela ekufeni kwakhe yaye uthetha “ngendlu esemhlabeni” ‘echithakalayo.’ Ngaba wayecinga ngomzimba oshiywe ngumphefumlo wawo ongafiyo? Akunjalo. UPawulos wayekholelwa ukuba umntu ngumphefumlo, kungekuko ukuba unomphefumlo. (Genesis 2:7; 1 Korinte 15:45) UPawulos wayengumKristu othanjiswe ngomoya othemba lakhe, njengelo labazalwana bakhe benkulungwane yokuqala, ‘elibekwe emazulwini.’ (Kolose 1:5; Roma 8:14-18) Ngoko ke, ‘umnqweno wakhe onyanisekileyo,’ wawukukuvuselwa ezulwini njengesidalwa esingumoya esingafiyo ngexesha likaThixo alimiseleyo. (2 Korinte 5:2-4) Ethetha ngeli themba, wabhala oku: “Siya kwenziwa ngakumbi sonke . . . ngexilongo lokugqibela. Kuba liya kulila ixilongo, bavuke abafileyo bengenakonakala, senziwe ngakumbi ke thina.”(Akekeliswe sithi.)—1 Korinte 15:51, 52.

Kweyesi-2 kwabaseKorinte 5:8, uPawulos uthi: “Somelele ke, sikholisiwe nokukholiswa kanye kukuba kude nekhaya lethu elisemzimbeni, sibekho kwikhaya lethu eliseNkosini.” Bambi bakholelwa ukuba la mazwi abhekisela kwimeko yethuba eliphakathi lokulinda. Abo banjalo bakwabhekisela kwisithembiso sikaYesu esiya kubalandeli bakhe abanyanisekileyo sokuba uya kubalungiselela indawo ‘awayeza kubamkelela kuyo njengekhaya.’ Kodwa aya kufezekiswa nini amadinga anjalo? UKristu wathi oku kwakuza kwenzeka xa ‘ebuya kwakhona’ kwixesha elizayo lobukho bakhe. (Yohane 14:1-3) Ngokufanayo, kweyesi-2 kwabaseKorinte 5:1-10, uPawulos wathi ithemba elifanayo kuwo onke amaKristu athanjisiweyo yayikukuhlala ezulwini njengelifa lawo. Oko kwakuya kwenzeka, kungekhona ngokungafi komphefumlo okucingelwayo, kodwa ngovuko ebudeni bobukho bukaKristu. (1 Korinte 15:23, 42-44) UExegete Charles Masson uqukumbela ngelithi eyesi-2 kwabaseKorinte 5:1-10 “inokuqondwa kakuhle ngaphandle kokuthembela ‘kwimeko yethuba eliphakathi’ elicingelwayo.’”

KwabaseFilipi 1:21, 23, uPawulos uthi: “Kuba kum mna, ukudla ubomi kunguKristu, ukufa kuyinzuzo. Kuba ndixinekile phakathi kwezinto ezimbini; ndinawo umnqweno wokunga ndinganduluka, ndiye kuba noKristu; kuba kokona kulungileyo kakhulu oko.” Ngaba apha uPawulos ubhekisela “kwimeko yethuba eliphakathi”? Bambi bacinga njalo. Phofu ke, uPawulos uthi wayexineke zizinto ezimbini ezazinokwenzeka—ubomi okanye ukufa. Ekhankanya into yesithathu eyayinokwenzeka wongezelela esithi: “Ndinawo umnqweno wokunga ndinganduluka, ndiye kuba noKristu.” ‘Ukunduluka’ abe noKristu ngokukhawuleza emva kokufa? Kaloku, njengoko sesibonile, uPawulos wayekholelwa ukuba amaKristu anyanisekileyo athanjisiweyo ayeya kuvuswa ebudeni bobukho bukaKristu. Ngoko ke, umele ukuba wayecinga ngeziganeko zelo xesha.

Oku kunokubonwa kumazwi akhe afumaneka kwabaseFilipi 3:20, 21 nakweyoku-1 kwabaseTesalonika 4:16. ‘Ukunduluka’ okunjalo ebudeni bobukho bukaKristu Yesu kwakuza kumenza uPawulos amkele umvuzo uThixo awayemlungiselele wona. Isibakala sokuba eli yayilithemba awayenalo sibonakala kumazwi akhe aya kumfana onguTimoti: “Okokugqibela ndibekelwe isithsaba sobulungisa, eya kundibuyisela ngaso ngaloo mini iNkosi, umgwebi olilungisa; ingabi ndim ndedwa ke, ibe ngabo bonke abakuthandayo ukubonakala kwayo.”—2 Timoti 4:8.

Uvuko—Inyaniso Ebalaseleyo YeBhayibhile

AmaKristu okuqala alugqala uvuko njengesiganeko esasiza kuqala ebudeni bobukho bukaKristu, yaye afumana amandla nentuthuzelo kule nyaniso ibalaseleyo yeBhayibhile. (Mateyu 24:3; Yohane 5:28, 29; 11:24, 25; 1 Korinte 15:19, 20; 1 Tesalonika 4:13) Balulinda ngokunyaniseka olo yolo lwexesha elizayo, becekisa iimfundiso eziwexukileyo zomphefumlo ongafiyo.—IZenzo 20:28-30; 2 Timoti 4:3, 4; 2 Petros 2:1-3.

Kambe ke, uvuko alupheleliselwanga kumaKristu anethemba lasezulwini. (1 Petros 1:3-5) Oosolusapho nabanye abakhonzi bakaThixo bamandulo baba nokholo kumandla kaYehova okubuyisela abafi ebomini emhlabeni. (Yobhi 14:14, 15; Daniyeli 12:2; Luka 20:37, 38; Hebhere 11:19, 35) Kwanezo zigidi ezingazange zimazi uThixo ebudeni beenkulungwane zinethuba lokubuyela ebomini kumhlaba oyiparadisi, ekubeni “kuza kubakho uvuko lwabafileyo, lwamalungisa kwanolwabangemalungisa.” (IZenzo 24:15; Luka 23:42, 43) Ngaba eli asilodinga lonwabisayo?

Kunokuba asenze sikholelwe ukuba ukubandezeleka neentlungu ziya kuhlala zikho, uYehova usalathisa kwixesha laxa “olokugqibela utshaba ukufa,” luya kushenxiswa ngonaphakade yaye uluntu olunyanisekileyo luya kuphila ngonaphakade kumhlaba oguqulelwe ekubeni yiParadisi. (1 Korinte 15:26; Yohane 3:16; 2 Petros 3:13) Onjani wona ummangaliso ekuya kuba nguwo ukubona abantu bethu esibathandayo bebuyela ebomini! Elinjani lona ukulunga eli themba liqinisekileyo kunoko kucingelwayo ngomphefumlo ongafiyo—imfundiso engasekelwanga kwiLizwi likaThixo, kodwa esekelwe kwintanda-bulumko yamaGrike! Ukuba ithemba lakho ulisekela kwisithembiso sikaThixo esiqinisekileyo, nawe unokuqiniseka ukuba kungekudala ‘akusayi kuphinda kubekho ukufa’!—ISityhilelo 21:3-5.

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 31]

Uvuko luyinyaniso ebalaseleyo yeBhayibhile