Kugxilwa Okholweni Lwakho—KweyabaseRoma
YINI edingekayo ngawe ukuze uthokozise uNkulunkulu?
Ungase unikeze izimpendulo ezihlukahlukene: Phila kahle. Ungalimazi abanye. Yenza iminikelo ethile ngenxa kaNkulunkulu. Jabulela imithetho yakhe. Yenza imisebenzi emihle. Yamukela uKristu ube qotho ekukhulekeleni kwakho.
Lezimpendulo zifanelekile, ngoba zithinta izinto odinga ukuzenza ukuze wamukelwe uNkulunkulu. Kodwa kukhona okuthile okubaluleke kakhulu kangangokuba konke okungenhla akunakuphumelela ngaphandle kwakho. Lokho UKHOLO.
Mhlawumbe unomuzwa wokuthi, ‘Nginokholo futhi ngiyazi ukuthi ukholo lubalulekile.’ Nokho, sonke senza kahle ngokuzindla ngombono lowo ngokuphindaphindiwe ofika kithi uvela encwadini yabaseRoma. Uyothola lesisihloko esixhumene kwabaseRoma 1:16, 17. Umphostoli uPawulu lapho usitshela ukuthi ‘izindaba ezinhle zingamandla kaNkulunkulu ensindiso’ nokuthi ‘olungileyo uyakuphila ngokholo.’ Ingabe insindiso itholakala kubantu bonke ngokholo? Ingabe ukholo lwenza imisebenzi yobuKristu ibe engadingekile? Incwadi kaPawulu kwabaseRoma iyaphendula.
Ingabe wena siqu uye wayifunda yini eyabaseRoma? Noma, ingabe uye wayifunda ngokuphindaphindiwe? Umbuzo wamuva ungongcono, ngoba kuye kwathiwa kweyabaseRoma sithola okukhulu ukunikezela izindaba ezinhle kukaPawulu. Ngakho eyabaseRoma kufanele ifundwe ngokuphindwaphindwa; lapho ‘uzindlisisa’ ngokwengeziwe ngayo, iba ‘ezuzisa’ ngokwengeziwe.
Insindiso Ngokholo Lwabo Bonke
Kwakukhona impikiswano yokukhathalelwa kumaKristu ekhulu lokuqala: Ingabe kokubili amaJuda nabeZizwe babengathola ukwamukelwa uNkulunkulu futhi balungisiswe nguye? UNkulunkulu waphefumlela uPawulu ukuba alobe ngalendaba ebalulekile kweyabaseRoma. Lokho akuloba kungaba okubaluleke kakhulu ekuphileni kwethu njengoba sibonisa ukholo futhi sifuna insindiso. Futhi iqukethe isifundo esiwusizo kithi uma nganoma iyiphi indlela sithambekela ekucabangeni ngomuntu oyedwa noma isizwe njengesingcono kunesinye.
Ukuze siwaqonde kangcono amaphuzu aphakanyiswa uPawulu, make sibukeze kafushane okuningi kwalencwadi. Njengoba ufunda eyabaseRoma ngalokhu kubukeza okufushane uyoba nombono ocacile oyokwenza ukwazi ukubona indlela yokucabanga ayilandela. Khona-ke awunakulahlekelwa umbono owendlalekile, ongenzeka ngemva kokufunda ivesi ngalinye.
Ngemva kwesingeniso sakhe namazwi afudumele esifiso sakhe sokuvakashela ibandla eRoma, uPawulu uza ngokuqondile kulesisihloko esiyinhloko: UNkulunkulu akakhethi futhi uvulele ukutholakala kwensindiso ‘kunoma ubani onokholo’—kungakhathaliseki ukuthi ungumJuda noma oweZizwe. Ngisho nakuba impikiswano yendlela uNkulunkulu angase abheke ngayo umJuda noma oweZizwe ingashisi namuhla njengoba yayinjalo emuva lé, amazwi kaPawulu agcizelela ukholo lwethu. Kungani lokho kudingekile kuwo wonke umuntu?—Roma 1:1-17.
Eqinisweni, bonke abantu bayizoni ezifanelwe yintukuthelo kaNkulunkulu. Lokho kungase kube lula ukukubona endabeni yabangewona amaJuda labo ngaphandle kwezaba abangabunakanga ubufakazi bukaNkulunkulu weqiniso. Laba ngokuvamile babekhulekela izinto ezidaliwe futhi (ngenxa yemibono yabo emibi ngoNkulunkulu) bazitika ezenzweni ezimbi. (Roma 1:18-32) Kodwa eqinisweni kunjalo ngisho nangabantu abafana namaJuda, abangase bahlulele noma bagxeke abeZizwe abonayo. Bonke basesimweni sokwahlulelwa. Ngani? AmaJuda anomthetho kaNkulunkulu athi ayawufundisa. AbeZizwe banonembeza obashukumisela ekwenzeni okulungileyo, ngakho-ke obenza bafanelwe ukulandisa. Ngakho-ke, ukusoka noma ukungasoki kwenyama akuyona into eyinhloko.—Roma 2:1-29.
Uma wawungumKristu ongumJuda emuva lapho, ngokunokwenzeka wawuyokwazisa ukuvuma kukaPawulu ukuthi amaJuda ayenikezwe iZwi likaNkulunkulu. Ngakho-ke yayingekho indlela yokubalekela iqiniso, elifakazelwe emiBhalweni, ukuthi isono sikubo bonke. Ngakho-ke kunendingeko ebalulekile yendlela ethile yokuba abantu babe abalungileyo. UNkulunkulu uye wasiphendula lesosidingo ngezindlela ezintsha zokuzuza ukulunga—ukholo kuJesu. Ungathanda yini ukuthola ubufakazi bokuthi ukholo luphakeme kunemisebenzi yomthetho? Cabangela isibonelo sika-Abrahama, uNkulunkulu ambalela ukuthi ungolungileyo ngenxa yesisekelo sokholo ngisho nangaphambi kokuba lowomuntu asokwe noma ngaphambi kokuba anikeze uIsrayeli umthetho. Futhi asikwazi ukungalinaki iqiniso lokuthi isithembiso esiwumphumela kuAbrahama sasho isibusiso ngabo bonke, kungakhathaliseki indabuko yabo yobuzwe.—Roma 3:1–4:25.
Khona-ke ingabe uyabona yini ukuthi ukholo lubaluleke kangakanani kumaKristu? Kulabo abagcinelwe ukuphila ezulwini, ukholo lwandulela ukubizwa kwabo njengabalungileyo nokwamukela ukugcotshwa kwabo ngomoya ongcwele. Nokho yeka indlela sonke esingabonga ngayo ngenxa yokuba nokwenzeka kokuba sizuze ukwamukelwa nguNkulunkulu ngokholo lwethu! Abantu ababephila ngaphambi kokunikezwa komthetho babeyizoni futhi bafa ngenxa yalokho. Ngemva kokuba uMose amukele umthetho, isono saba sobala ngokwengeziwe kakhulu. Yini eyayingakhokha umphumela wesono sika-Adamu esadlulisela ukungapheleli kithi? Inkambo yokwethembeka kaJesu namandla esihlengo okufa kwakhe njengomhlatshelo. Ngokholo kulokho singaba ‘nombono wokuphila okuphakade.’—Roma 5:1-21.
Ukuphila Ngokuvumelana Nokholo
Njengoba uqhubeka ufunda eyabaseRoma uzobona ukuthi uPawulu ukhuluma ngesiphetho esingalungile abathile okungase ukuba baye basifinyelela ngokwamazwi akhe. Kanjani? Phela, omunye angase acabange ukuthi njengoba uNkulunkulu engasabela esonweni ngokubonisa umusa ongafanelekanga, umuntu angamane nje aqhubeke futhi one. Yeka indlela lokho okungaba yiphutha ngayo! UPawulu uchaza ukuthi amaKristu azono zawo ziye zathethelelwa kumelwe kanjalo-ke angavumeli isono siwabuse. Kunjengokungathi ekuqaleni sasiyizigqila zesono, sisilalela; manje kunjengokungathi leyonkosi yethu yakuqala yafa futhi iziyalo zayo zingase zinganakwa. SineNkosi entsha—uNkulunkulu. Ngokholo kumelwe ‘sibe yizinceku zokulunga,’ ‘sinezithelo ngendlela yobungcwele, nesiphetho esiwukuphila okuphakade.’—Roma 6:1-23.
Kudinga umzamo ukuphila njengomKristu ngokuvumelana nokholo. Lowomzamo awuyona nje indlela yokuzama ukugcina umthetho olotshiwe, ngoba labo ekuqaleni ababengaphansi komthetho babengakwazi ukuwugcina ngokuphelele futhi manje baye bakhululwa kuwo njengomfazi okhululwa emthethweni wendoda yakhe lapho ifa. Kodwa singathola isikhuthazo esivela ekuvumeni kukaPawulu ngokusobala: Wavuma ukuthi wayengakwazi ukugwema isono, njengoba ayefuna ukwenze njalo. Nokho waba nomuzwa wokukhululeka ngoJesu. Singakuthola ukukhululeka okufanayo.—Roma 7:1-25.
Labo uNkulunkulu aye wabathola njengamadodana angokomoya bayobusa ndawonye ezulwini noJesu Kristu. Lokho kubanikeza ithemba, futhi kumelwe kuqinisekise wonke amaKristu athembekile ukuthi uNkulunkulu uyosiza labo abathembela kuye. Eqinisweni, uma sithembekile kuye, akukho lutho olungasehlukanisa nothando lwakhe olungoKristu. (Roma 8:1-39) Akudingeki singabaze ukwenza kukaNkulunkulu okuhle. Unelungelo nekhono lokunquma izindaba ngendlela athanda ngayo, njengoba akubonisa ekukhetheni kwakhe uJakobe nasekusebenzelaneni kwakhe noFaro. Njengoba amaJuda amaningi akhubeka futhi angamamukela uMesiya, uNkulunkulu wanquma ukuthi noma ubani obonisa ukholo wayengasindiswa. Lokho ngokuqinisekile kuyizindaba ezinhle! Futhi, kusilethela umthwalo wemfanelo wokubonisa ukholo ngokumemezela izindaba ezinhle ukuze abantu bazo zonke izizwe bezwe futhi bazuze ukholo.—Roma 9:1–10:15.
Kumelwe sibone isifundo ngendlela lokhu okwenzeka ngayo. Ngisho nakuba besesimweni sokwamukelwa uNkulunkulu futhi bengabokuqala bokuba sohlwini lokuphila ezulwini ‘njengoIsrayeli kaNkulunkulu,’ amaJuda emvelo awanamathelanga endaweni yawo. Njengamagatsha emvelo emthini womnqumo otshaliwe anqanyulwa, kwavulelwa abeZizwe (abafaniswa namagatsha omnqumo wasendle) abamukela uKristu. Ngaphandle kokungabaza, bonke abaye bamukela umusa kaNkulunkulu ngalendlela noma ngayiphi enye kumelwe ngokwazisa baqhubeke bebonisa ukholo ukuze bathole insindiso.—Galathiya 6:16; Roma 10:16–11:36.
Kungaziphi izindlela ongabonisa ngazo ukholo lwakho, ngalé kokwenza isimemezelo sasobala sensindiso kanjalo usize abanye ukuba bazi izindaba ezinhle? Uyothola ezinye izimpendulo kwabaseRoma 12:1–13:14. NjengomKristu ungagwema ukufana nalesi simiso sezinto esikhohlakele; ungahlakulela intobeko, ubonise ukuphana futhi unqobe okubi ngokwenza okuhle. Yebo, njengoba ufunda lawomavesi uyothola okunye okutuswayo okuhle kakhulu, kuhlanganise nalokho okuhilela ukuzithoba kwakho okulinganiselwe ‘emandleni aphethe’ kahulumeni.
Omunye umsebenzi wobuKristu uwukucabangela abantu abanonembeza ababuthakathaka, ukuzimisela ukudela zinto ezivunyelwe ukuze ungabakhubi abanye. Lapho sithwala kanjalo ubuthakathaka balabo abangaqinile esikhundleni sokuzijabulisa ngokwethu, silandela isibonelo esabekwa uKristu. Futhi sithuthukisa ukuthula nobunye.—Roma 14:1–15:16.
Njengoba ufunda Ro 15, 16 izahluko ezimbili eziphethayo zabaseRoma uzobona ukuthi uPawulu ngokuqinisekile wayephila ngokuvumelana nokholo lwakhe. Ikakhulukazi wayenenkonzo kubantu babezizwe, futhi wayehileleke ngokujulile ekufezeni leyonkonzo. Ngaphandle kokuhambela ibandla laseRoma, uPawulu wayethemba ukuya ngisho naseSpain. Leyo kwakuyindawo eyinhloko eyayibuqamana yoMbuso waseRoma futhi yayiyinsimu engazange ithintwe ngokombono kaPawulu. Lokubingelela okuningi komuntu siqu kukaPawulu kumaKristu aseRoma kungobunye ubufakazi bokholo lwakhe, oluphilayo, olunemisebenzi.
Ngokusobala, incwadi yabaseRoma iyasisiza ukuba siqaphele ukuphakama kokholo kunemisebenzi yomthetho. Ikwenza kube sobala ngokuphelele ukuthi ngokungakhethi kwakhe uNkulunkulu uzimisele ukwamukela bonke ababonisa ukholo, ebanikeza ithemba lokuba abalungileyo futhi bazuze ukuphila phakade. Khona-ke, masiqaphele njalo isidingo sethu sokuba nokholo oluqinile futhi siphile ngokuvumelana nalo.