Kwingxelo yendalo ekwiGenesis, sifunda ukuba uThixo wathi kwindoda yokuqala, uAdam: “Kuyo yonke imithi yomyezo ungadla wanele. Kodwa wona umthi wokwazi okulungileyo nokubi uze ungadli kuwo, kuba mhla uthe wadla kuwo uya kufa ngokuqinisekileyo.” (Genesis 2:16, 17) Loo mazwi abonisa mhlophe ukuba uAdam wayengazukufa ukuba wayemthobele uThixo kodwa wayeza kuqhubeka ephila kumyezo wase-Eden.

Okulusizi kukuba, endaweni yokukhetha ukuthobela ukuze aphile ngonaphakade, uAdam wakhetha ukungawuthobeli umthetho kaThixo. Watya isiqhamo somthi awayesinikwa ngumfazi wakhe uEva, ababengavumelekanga ukuba batye kuwo. (Genesis 3:1-6) Sisathwaxwa yimiphumo yokungathobeli kwabo nanamhlanje. Umpostile uPawulos wayichaza ngale ndlela le nto: “Isono sangena ngamntu mnye ehlabathini nokufa ngaso isono, ngaloo ndlela ukufa kwasasazeka kubo bonke abantu ngenxa yokuba bonke bonayo.” (Roma 5:12) Loo ‘mntu mnye’ yayinguAdam ngenkqu. Kodwa sasiyintoni isono ibe kwakutheni ukuze sibangele ukufa?

Ukungathobeli kuka-Adam okanye ukwaphula umthetho kaThixo ngabom, kwaba sisono. (1 Yohane 3:4) Isohlwayo sesono kukufa, kanye njengokuba watshoyo uThixo kuAdam. Ukuba uAdam nenzala yakhe babewuthobele umthetho kaThixo, babengazukuba nasono ibe babengazukufa. UThixo akazange abadalele ukuba bafe abantu kodwa wayefuna baphile ngonaphakade.

 Asinakuyiphika into yokuba ukufa “kwasasazeka kubo bonke,” njengoko yatshoyo iBhayibhile. Kodwa ngaba ikho into eqhubeka iphila xa sisifa? Abanye basenokuthi ewe, umphefumlo wona awufi. Le nto ibiya kuthetha ukuba uThixo waxoka kuAdam. Ngoba? Kuba xa sinento eqhubeka iphila kwenye indawo emva kokuba sifile, loo nto ithetha ukuba ukufa akusiso isohlwayo sesono, njengokuba uThixo watshoyo. IBhayibhile ithi: ‘Akunakwenzeka ukuba uThixo axoke.’ (Hebhere 6:18) Inyani kukuba, nguSathana owaxokayo kuEva esithi: “Ngokuqinisekileyo anisayi kufa.”​—Genesis 3:4.

Xa kunjalo ke umbuzo ngulo, ukuba ibubuxoki into yokuba umphefumlo awufi, kwenzeka ntoni kanye kanye xa umntu efile?

IGenesis ithi ngendalo: “Wandula ke uYehova uThixo wabumba umntu ngothuli lomhlaba waza wavuthela impefumlo yobomi emathatheni akhe, umntu ke waba ngumphefumlo ophilayo.” Ibinzana elithi ‘umphefumlo ophilayo [umntu ophilayo]’ liguqulelwe kwigama lesiHebhere elithi, ne’phesh, * ngokoqobo elithetha ukuthi “isidalwa esiphefumlayo.”​—Genesis 2:7.

IBhayibhile yenza kucace ukuba abantu abadalwanga benomphefumlo ongafiyo. Endaweni yoko, mntu ngamnye “ngumphefumlo ophilayo.” Noba ungakhangela kweyiphi iBhayibhile, soze ufumane ndawo ithetha “ngomphefumlo ongafiyo.”

Ekubeni kungekho ndawo ithetha ngomphefumlo ongafiyo eBhayibhileni, kutheni iinkonzo ezininzi zifundisa ngawo? Impendulo isibuyisela kwiYiputa yakudala.

UHerodotus, umbhali-mbali ongumGrike owayephila kwiminyaka yoo-400 wathi “abantu bokuqala abamela into yokungafi komphefumlo” yayingamaYiputa. Abanye abantu bakudala ababezonwabisa ngale nto yokungafi komphefumlo, ngamaBhabhiloni. Xa uAleksandire Omkhulu woyisa amazwe akuMbindi Mpuma ngo-332 B.C.E., iintandabulumko zamaGrike zazisele zizalise ngale mfundiso kubo bonke uBukhosi bamaGrike.

Kwinkulungwane yokuqala, amaqela amabini aziwayo eenkonzo zamaYuda, amaEssene nabaFarisi, afundisa ukuba umphefumlo awufi xa umntu esifa. IThe Jewish Encyclopedia ithi: “Yimfundiso yamaGrike eyabangela ukuba amaYuda akholelwe ekubeni umphefumlo awufi, kodwa eyona nto yayifaka kakhulu le nkolelo yintanda-bulumko kaPlato.” Nombhali-mbali wenkulungwane yokuqala, uJosephus ongumYuda wayidibanisa le mfundiso “nenkolo yoonyana baseGrisi,” kungekhona neZibhalo Ezingcwele, futhi wayesithi lelinye lamabali obuxoki.

Njengoko abantu abaninzi babezamkela iimfundiso zamaGrike, nabo bazibiza ngokuba ngamaKristu bayithathela kubo le mfundiso. Umbhali-mbali uJona Lendering wathi, “Imfundiso kaPlato yokuba umphefumlo wawukhe wakwindawo ephakamileyo ibe ngoku ukwihlabathi eliwohlokileyo, yenza kwalula ukudibanisa intandabulumko kaPlato nobuKristu.” Ngenxa yoko, le mfundiso yobuhedeni yokungafi komphefumlo yangena nakwicawa  “yobuKristu” yaza yabaluleka ngaphezu kwazo zonke ezinye iimfundiso.

Kwinkulungwane yokuqala, umpostile uPawulos walumkisa wathi: “Ilizwi eliphefumlelweyo lithi ngokuqinisekileyo kuya kubakho ixesha laxa abathile beya kuphambuka elukholweni, benikela ingqalelo kumazwi aphefumlelweyo alahlekisayo nakwiimfundiso zeedemon.” (1 Timoti 4:1) Kuye kwacaca ukuba yinyani kwala mazwi. Imfundiso yokungafi komphefumlo ngomnye wemizekelo ‘yemfundiso yeedemon.’ IBhayibhile ayithethi ngayo, ibe ivela kwiicawa zakudala zobuhedeni neentandabulumko.

Thina ke siyavuya kuba uYesu wathi: “Niya kuyazi inyaniso, yaye inyaniso iya kunikhulula.” (Yohane 8:32) Ukwazi eyona nto ithethwa yiBhayibhile, kusenze sakhululeka kwiimfundiso ezimdelelayo uThixo ezisasazwa ziicawa zeli hlabathi. Ngaphezu koko, iBhayibhile isikhulula kumakhamandela ezithethe neentsomi ezithethwayo ngokufa.​—Funda ibhokisi ethi, “ Baphi Abafileyo?”

UMdali wethu akazange asidalele ukuba siphile iminyaka eyi-70 okanye eyi-80 emhlabeni size siye kuphila ngonaphakade kwenye indawo. Wayefuna siphile ngonaphakade apha emhlabeni, simthobele. Injongo yakhe ibonisa ukuba uyasithanda ibe ayisoze inqandwe mntu. (Malaki 3:6) Umdumisi usenza singakuthandabuzi oko xa esithi: “Amalungisa aya kuwudla ilifa umhlaba, ahlale kuwo ngonaphakade.”​—INdumiso 37:29.