Kwenzeka Ntoni Ngokwenene Ekufeni?

“Yonke imiphefumlo ayifi, kwanaleyo yabangendawo . . . Ekubeni besohlwaywa ngomlilo ongacimiyo yaye bengafi, kungangenkankulu ukuba bayeke ukuthuthunjelwa.”—UClement waseAlexandria, ongumbhali wenkulungwane yesibini neyesithathu yeXesha Eliqhelekileyo.

NJENGOCLEMENT, abo bafundisa ukuba isihogo yindawo ekuthuthunjiswa kuyo abantu, bacinga ukuba umphefumlo womntu awufi. Ngaba iBhayibhile iyayixhasa le mfundiso? Khawuve indlela iLizwi likaThixo eliwuphendula ngayo lo mbuzo?

Ngaba umntu wokuqala, uAdam, wayenomphefumlo ongafiyo? Ithetha ngokudalwa kuka-Adam, inguqulelo yamaProtestanti iKing James Version, okanye iAuthorized Version ithi: “INKOSI uThixo yabumba umntu ngothuli lomhlaba, yaza yaphefumlela emathatheni akhe impefumlo yobomi; waza umntu waba ngumphefumlo ophilayo.” (Genesis 2:7) Phawula ukuba esi Sibhalo asithi uAdam wanikwa umphefumlo.

Kwenzeka ntoni kuAdam emva kokuba onile? UThixo akazange amohlwayele ukuthuthunjiswa esihogweni ngonaphakade. Kunoko, iNew American Bible yamaKatolika ithi uThixo wathi: “Uya kudla ngokubila kobuso bakho, ude ubuyele eluthulini othatyathwe kulo; kuba uluthuli, uya kubuyela kwaseluthulini.” (Akekeliswe sithi; Genesis 3:19) Apha uThixo akathi kukho inxalenye ethile ka-Adam eyayingayi kufa. Xa uAdam wafayo, kwafa umphefumlo onguAdam.

Ngaba ukho umntu onomphefumlo ongafiyo? UThixo wathi kumprofeti uHezekile: “Umphefumlo owonayo kuya kufa wona.” (Hezekile 18:4, The Holy Bible—New International Version) Umpostile uPawulos wabhala: “Isono sangena ngomntu omnye [uAdam] ehlabathini, ngenxa yoko bonke bona.” (Roma 5:12, NAB) Ukuba bonke abantu bonile, ngoko kusengqiqweni ukugqiba kwelokuba yonke imiphefumlo iyafa.

Ngaba umphefumlo ofileyo unento oyaziyo okanye oyivayo? ILizwi likaThixo lithi: “Abaphilayo bayazi ukuba baza kufa, kodwa abafileyo abazi nto.” (INtshumayeli 9:5, NAB) Ichaza oko kwenzeka emntwini xa efile, iBhayibhile ithi: “Ubuyela emhlabeni wakhe; ngaloo mhla uyayeka ukucinga.” (INdumiso 146:4, KJ) Ukuba abantu “abafileyo abazi nto” yaye ‘bayayeka ukucinga,’ banokuthuthunjelwa njani esihogweni?

UYesu Kristu akazange afanise umntu ofileyo nomntu osezingqondweni, kodwa wamfanisa nomntu osebuthongweni.a (Yohane 11:11-14) Bambi banokuphikisa ngelithi uYesu wafundisa ukuba isihogo siyatshisa yaye aboni baphoswa kuso. Makhe sive oko kwathethwa nguYesu ngesihogo.

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]