Umbono WeBhayibheli

Abantu Abazibulele—Bayovuka?

IZINDABA ezibuhlungu zomuntu ozibulele azilethi isiphetho ekhasini lezenzakalo zokuphila kwezihlobo nabangane; ziqalisa elisha—ikhasi lemizwa exubile yozwela nentukuthelo, usizi necala. Futhi ziphakamisa umbuzo: Ingabe singaba nalo ithemba ngomngane wethu ozibulele?a

Nakuba ukuzibulala ngokuzizwisa ubuhlungu kungathethelelwa, kungalungile, umphostoli uPawulu wanikeza ithemba elihle ngisho nangabathile abangalungile. Njengoba atshela inkantolo yomthetho yaseRoma: “Nginethemba kuNkulunkulu . . . lokuthi kuyakuba khona ukuvuka kwabafileyo, okwabalungile nokwabangalungile.”—IzEnzo 24:15.

Noma kunjalo, izazi zenkolo eziningi sekuyisikhathi eside zakulahla noma ikuphi ukusikisela kokuthi ukuvuka kwabangalungile kungase kunikeze ithemba kulabo abaye bazibulala. Ngani?

Izazi Zenkolo Ziyaliphika Ithemba Lovuko

UWilliam Tyndale waveza ingxenye yenkinga esanduleleni seBhayibheli lakhe lekhulu leminyaka le-16 wathi: “Ngokuthi imiphefumulo yabafile isezulwini, esihogweni, noma esihlanzweni uchitha izizathu uKristu noPawulu abafakazela ngazo uvuko.” Yebo, emakhulwini eminyaka adlule, abefundisi bangenisa umqondo ongekho eBhayibhelini: imiphefumulo engafi eshiya umzimba ekufeni iqondé ngqo ezulwini noma esihlanzweni noma esihogweni. Lowomqondo washayisana nemfundiso ecacile yeBhayibheli yovuko lwesikhathi esizayo. Kunjengoba umfundisi waseBaptist uCharles Andrews abuza: “Uma umphefumulo usuthokoza kakade ezulwini (noma kakade woseka ngokufanele esihogweni), kunasiphi isidingo sokunye okwengeziwe?” Wenezela: “Lokhu kuphikisana kwangaphakathi kuye kwakhathaza amaKristu emakhulwini amaningi eminyaka.”

Omunye umphumela wemfundiso yenkolo eyiphutha kanjalo waba ukuthi “kusukela ngesikhathi sika-Augustine [354-430 B.C.E.] isonto liye lalahla ukuzibulala njengesono,” kusho uArthur Droge kuyiBible Review kaDecember 1989, “isono esingenakuthethelelwa njengokuhlubuka nokuphinga.”

Lesinqumo sonya sokuba “ongenakuthethelelwa” noma sokuyiswa ngokungenathemba esihogweni somlilo, sibeka lempikiswano yokwahlulelwa ekufeni ezingeni eleqisayo nelinesisekelo esizamazamayo.

INational Catholic Reporter iyavuma: “Ezimbili zezazi ezinkulu zenkolo zakhuluma ngokumelene nokuzibulala—uAugustine ekubiza ngokuthi ‘ububi obunyanyekayo nobuqalekisiwe’ futhi uAquinas ebonisa ukuthi kuyisono esibulalayo [esingenakuthethelelwa] kuNkulunkulu nasemphakathini—kodwa akusibo bonke abefundisi abaye bavuma.”

Ngokujabulisayo, singakugwema “ukuphikisana kwangaphakathi” okunjalo ngokwamukela amaqiniso amabili eBhayibheli avumelanayo. Elokuqala, “umphefumulo owonayo—uyakufa.” (Hezekeli 18:4) Elesibili, ithemba loqobo ngemiphefumulo efile (abantu) liwukuphila futhi ‘ngokuvuka kwabalungile nabangalungile.’ (IzEnzo 24:15) Khona-ke yini, esingayilindela ngokufanelekile ngalabo abaye bazibulala?

Ongalungile Oyovuswa

UJesu watshela iselelesi esasigwetshelwe ukufa: “Uzakuba nami eParadesi.” Lendoda yayingalungile—iyisephula-mthetho kunokuba ibe isisulu esikhathazeke kakhulu sokuzibulala—yona ngokwayo ivuma ngokungafihli ukuthi inecala. (Luka 23:39-43) Yayingenalo ithemba lokuya ezulwini ukuze ibuse noJesu. Ngakho-ke iPharadesi lelisela elalingathemba ukubuya liphile kulo kwakuyoba umhlaba omuhle ngaphansi koMbuso kaJehova uNkulunkulu.—Mathewu 6:9, 10; IsAmbulo 21:1-4.

Kungayiphi injongo uNkulunkulu ezovusa lesiselelesi? Ukuze asimangalele ngonya ngezono zesikhathi esidlule? Akunjalo, ngoba amaRoma 6:7, 23 athi: “Ngokuba ofileyo ukhululiwe esonweni,” futhi “inkokhelo yesono ingukufa.” Nakuba singeke sibalelwe izono zangesikhathi esidlule, sisayosidinga isihlengo ukuze sifinyelele ekupheleleni.

Ngakho-ke, isazi senkolo uAlbert Barnes sasiphambukile futhi sidukile lapho sigomela: “Labo abaye benza ububi bayovuswa ukuze bajeziswe, noma balahlwe. Lokhu kuyoba injongo yokubavusa; leli yilona cebo.” Yeka indlela okungamfanele ngayo uNkulunkulu wokulunga nothando! Kunalokho, ukuvuselwa ekuphileni emhlabeni oyipharadesi kuyonikeza lona owayeyiselelesi (kanye nabanye abangalungile) ithuba elihle kakhulu lokwahlulelwa ngalokho abakwenza ngemva kokuvuswa kwabo.—1 Johane 4:8-10.

Ithuba Lomusa

Abangane abashaqekile besisulu sokuzibulala bangaduduzeka ngokwazi ukuthi “uJehova uyabahawukela abamesabayo. Ngokuba uyakwazi ukubunjwa kwethu, uyakhumbula ukuthi siluthuli.” (IHubo 103:10-14) UNkulunkulu kuphela ongaqonda ngokugcwele indima yokugula ngengqondo, ukucindezeleka okukhulu, ngisho nezici zofuzo, “esimweni esibucayi sokuzibulala,” leso, iNational Observer eyaphawula ukuthi “asisona isici sokuphila konke [kodwa] ngokuvamile indaba yemizuzu noma yamahora.”—Bheka umShumayeli 7:7.

Kuyavunywa, umuntu ozibulalayo uzephuca ithuba lokuphenduka esenzweni sokuzibulala. Kodwa ubani ongasho noma lowo oye wazibulala wayengase ashintshe enhliziyweni ukuba umzamo wokuzibulala wehluleka? Abanye ababulali abaziwayo, eqinisweni, baye bashintsha futhi bazuza intethelelo kaNkulunkulu besaphila.—2 AmaKhosi 21:16; 2 IziKronike 33:12, 13.

Kanjalo, njengoba uJehova eye wakhokha “isihlengo sabaningi,” kukuye ukubonisa umusa, ngisho nakwabathile abaye bazibulala, ngokubavusa nangokubanika ithuba eliyigugu lokuba “baphenduke baguqukele kuNkulunkulu, benze imisebenzi efanele ukuphenduka.”—Mathewu 20:28; IzEnzo 26:20.

Umbono OngokomBhalo, Nowokuba Nomthwalo Wemfanelo Ngokuphila

Ukuphila kuyisipho esivela kuNkulunkulu, hhayi okuthile kokusetshenziswa kabi noma kokuqedwa umuntu ngokwakhe. (Jakobe 1:17) Ngakho, imibhalo isikhuthaza ukuba sizibheke, hhayi njengemiphefumulo engafi, kodwa njengendalo eyigugu kaNkulunkulu osithandayo, okwazisayo ukuba kwethu ngabaphilayo, futhi obheke phambili ngenjabulo esikhathini sovuko.—Jobe 14:14, 15.

Uthando luqinisekisa ukuqaphela kwethu ukuthi ukuzibulala—nakuba umuntu esuke ebalekela imithwalo yakhe—kumane nje kunqwabelanisa izinkinga ezengeziwe kulabo abathandekayo abasele. Ngokuqondene nalowo ozibulala ngokungacabangi, asinakunquma ukuthi uyovuka noma cha. Wayenecala kangakanani? UNkulunkulu kuphela ‘ohlola izinhliziyo zonke nezizindlo zonke zemicabango.’ (1 IziKronike 28:9) Kodwa singaqiniseka ngokuthi ‘uMahluleli womhlaba wonke uyokwenza okuwuthando, okulungileyo, nokuhle.’—Genesise 18:25.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 22]

Kollektie Rijksmuseum Kröller-Müller, Otterlo