Ungubani UThixo?

ITHE ENCYCLOPEDIA AMERICANA ithi: “Ngokuqhelekileyo igama elithi Thixo libhekisela kumthombo namandla amakhulu anqulwayo endalo iphela.” Isichazi-magama sichaza ibinzana elithi “Thixo” “njengesona siqu siphakamileyo nesibalaseleyo.” Sinjani eso siqu simangalisayo?

Ngaba uThixo ngamandla nje okanye ngumntu wokwenene? Ngaba unegama? Ngaba uyinxalenye kaBathathu Emnye, njengoko abaninzi bekholelwa? Sinokumazi njani uThixo? IBhayibhile inikela iimpendulo eziyinyaniso nezanelisayo kule mibuzo. Enyanisweni, isikhuthaza ukuba sifune uThixo, isithi: ‘Akakude kuye ngamnye wethu.’—IZenzo 17:27.

Ngamandla Nje Okanye Ngumntu Wokwenene?

Abaninzi abakholelwa kuThixo bacinga ukuba ungamandla, kungekhona umntu. Ngokomzekelo, kubantu abathile, oothixo baye banxulunyaniswa namandla endalo. Bambi abaye bahlolisisa ubungqina obaqokelelwa luphando lwenzululwazi kwindlela indalo iphela eyakhiwe ngayo nobomi emhlabeni baye bafikelela kwelokuba kumele ukuba kubekho uNozala wento zonke. Sekunjalo, baba mathidala ukuthi lo Nozala ngumntu.

Sekunjalo, ngaba ukuntsonkotha kwendalo akubonisi ukuba uNozala wento zonke umele ukuba ukrelekrele? Ukuze kubekho ubukrelekrele kumele kubekho ingqondo. Ingqondo emangalisayo eyadala yonke indalo yekaThixo. Ewe, uThixo unomzimba, kungekhona umzimba wokwenyama ofanayo nowethu, kodwa umzimba womoya. IBhayibhile ithi: “Ukuba kukho umzimba wenyama, kukwakho nowomoya.” (1 Korinte 15:44) Ichaza into uThixo ayiyo, ngokucacileyo iBhayibhile ithi: “UThixo unguMoya.” (Yohane 4:24) Umoya unobomi obahlukileyo kobethu, yaye asinakuwubona ngeliso lenyama. (Yohane 1:18) Kukho nezidalwa zomoya ezingabonakaliyo. Ziziingelosi—“oonyana boThixo oyinyaniso.”—Yobhi 1:6; 2:1.

Ekubeni uThixo engumntu ongadalwanga yaye enomzimba womoya, kusengqiqweni ukuba unendawo ahlala kuyo. Ibhekisela kummandla womoya, iBhayibhile isixelela ukuba amazulu ‘yindawo uThixo ahlala kuyo emisiweyo.’ (1 Kumkani 8:43) Kwakhona, umbhali weBhayibhile uPawulos uthi: ‘UKristu wangena ukuze ngoku abonakale phambi kukaThixo ngenkqu ngenxa yethu.’—Hebhere 9:24.

Igama elithi “umoya” likwasetyenziswa ngenye  indlela eBhayibhileni. Ethandaza kuThixo, umdumisi wathi: “Ukuba uthumela umoya wakho, ziyadalwa.” (INdumiso 104:30) Lo moya awungoThixo kodwa ngamandla uThixo awathumelayo, okanye awasebenzisayo, ukufeza nantoni na ayifunayo. Esebenzisa wona, uThixo wadala amazulu, umhlaba, nazo zonke izinto eziphilayo. (Genesis 1:2; INdumiso 33:6) Umoya wakhe ubizwa ngokuba ngumoya oyingcwele. UThixo wasebenzisa umoya wakhe oyingcwele ukuze aphefumlele amadoda abhala iBhayibhile. (2 Petros 1:20, 21) Ngenxa yoko, umoya oyingcwele ngamandla asebenzayo angabonakaliyo uThixo awasebenzisayo ukufeza iinjongo zakhe.

UThixo Unegama Elikhethekileyo

Umbhali weBhayibhile uAgure wabuza: “Ngubani na ohlanganisa umoya kumphakathi wezandla zozibini? Ngubani na osonga amanzi ngengubo yokwaleka? Ngubani na omise zonke iziphelo zomhlaba? Lingubani na igama lakhe yaye lingubani na igama lonyana wakhe.” (IMizekeliso 30:4) Ngokungathi kunjalo, uAgure wayebuza: ‘Ngaba uyalazi igama okanye imvelaphi yomntu owenza ezi zinto?’ NguThixo kuphela onamandla okulawula amandla emvelo. Ngoxa indalo ibubungqina obunamandla bokuba uThixo ukho, ayithethi ngegama likaThixo. Enyanisweni, asinakulazi igama likaThixo ngaphandle kokuba uThixo asichazele. Yaye uye wenjenjalo. UMdali uthi: “NdinguYehova. Lilo elo igama lam.”—Isaya 42:8.

Igama likaThixo elikhethekileyo elithi, Yehova, livela phantse izihlandlo ezingama-7 000 kwiZibhalo zesiHebhere kuphela. UYesu Kristu walazisa elo gama kwabanye waza walidumisa phambi kwabo. (Yohane 17:6, 26) Elo gama lifumaneka kwincwadi yokugqibela yeBhayibhile njengenxalenye yegama elithi “Haleluya,” elithetha ukuthi “Dumisani uYa!” Yaye “uYa” ligama elishunqulelweyo “likaYehova.” (ISityhilelo 19:1-6, umbhalo osemazantsi weNW eneembekiselo) Sekunjalo, iiBhayibhile ezininzi zale mihla azifane zilisebenzise elo gama. Ngokufuthi zisebenzisa igama elithi “NKOSI” okanye elithi “THIXO,” nelibhalwa ngoonobumba abakhulu ukuze lahlulwe kwisibizo esiqhelekileyo esithi “Nkosi” nesithi “Thixo.” Abanye abaphengululi bathi kusenokwenzeka ukuba igama likaThixo lalibizwa ngokuthi Yahweh.

Kutheni kukho iimbono ezahlukene kangaka ngegama lowona Mntu mkhulu kwindalo  iphela? Le ngxaki yaqala kwiinkulungwane ezadlulayo xa amaYuda ngenxa yeenkolelo zawo ayeka ukubiza igama likaThixo aza aqalisa ukusebenzisa igama lesiHebhere elithi “INkosi enguMongami” naphi na apho adibana khona negama likaThixo njengoko ayefunda iZibhalo. Ekubeni isiHebhere seBhayibhile sasibhalwa ngaphandle kwezikhamiso, ayikho indlela yokwazi ncam ukuba uMoses, uDavide nabanye bamaxesha amandulo babebabiza njani oonobumba abakha igama likaThixo. Noko ke, indlela igama elithi Yehova elibizwa ngayo ngesiXhosa, iye yasetyenziswa kangangeenkulungwane, yaye indlela elibizwa ngayo eli gama kwezinye iilwimi nayo iye yamkelwa namhlanje.—Eksodus 6:3; Isaya 26:4, IBhayibhile yesiXhosa.

Nangona singaqinisekanga ukuba igama likaThixo lalibizwa njani ngesiHebhere samandulo, siyayazi intsingiselo yalo. Igama lakhe lithetha ukuthi “Uzibangela Abe.” Ngaloo ndlela uThixo uzichaza njengaLowo ohlala ezizalisekisa iinjongo nezithembiso zakhe. NguThixo oyinyaniso kuphela, onamandla wokwenza oku, onokufanelwa lelo gama.—Isaya 55:11.

Alithandabuzeki elokuba, igama elithi Yehova lahlula uThixo uSomandla kubo bonke abanye oothixo. Yiloo nto elo gama livela ngokufuthi eBhayibhileni. Ngoxa abaguquleli bengalisebenzisi igama likaThixo, ngokucacileyo INdumiso 83:18 ithi: “Wena, ogama linguYehova, Nguwe wedwa Oyena Uphakamileyo phezu komhlaba wonke.” Ebudeni bobulungiseleli bakhe, uYesu Kristu wafundisa abalandeli bakhe esithi: “Nize nithandaze ngale ndlela: ‘Bawo wethu osemazulwini, malingcwaliswe igama lakho.’” (Mateyu 6:9) Ngoko ke, sifanele silisebenzise igama likaThixo xa sithandaza, xa sithetha ngaye naxa simdumisa phambi kwabanye.

Ngaba UYesu UnguThixo?

UYehova uThixo umchaza ngokucacileyo ukuba ngubani uNyana wakhe. Ingxelo yeVangeli kaMateyu ithi, emva kokubhaptizwa kukaYesu, “kwakukho ilizwi eliphuma emazulwini lisithi: ‘Lo nguNyana wam, oyintanda, endikholisiweyo nguye.’” (Mateyu 3:16, 17) UYesu Kristu nguNyana kaThixo.

Sekunjalo, abanye abantu abanqulayo bathi uYesu nguThixo. Abanye bathi uThixo nguBathathu Emnye. Le mfundiso ithi, “uYise nguThixo, uNyana nguThixo, yaye uMoya Oyingcwele nguThixo, yaye sekunjalo abangabo ooThixo abathathu kodwa nguThixo omnye.” Kuthiwa bobathathu aba “baphila ngonaphakade yaye bayalingana.” (The Catholic Encyclopedia) Ngaba iimbono ezinjalo zichanile?

Xa zithetha ngoYehova, iZibhalo eziphefumlelweyo zithi: “Ukususela kwixesha elingenammiselo ukusa kwixesha elingenammiselo wena unguThixo.” (INdumiso 90:2) ‘UnguKumkani kanaphakade’—akanasiqalo yaye akanasiphelo. (1 Timoti 1:17) Kwelinye icala, uYesu ‘ulizibulo lendalo yonke,’ “isiqalo sendalo kaThixo.” (Kolose 1:13-15; ISityhilelo 3:14) Ethetha ngoThixo esithi nguYise, uYesu wathi: “UBawo mkhulu kunam.” (Yohane 14:28) Kwakhona uYesu wacacisa ukuba kukho izinto yena nezithunywa zezulu ababengazazi kodwa ezaziwa nguThixo kuphela. (Marko 13:32) Ngaphezu koko, uYesu wathandaza kuYise, esithi: “Kungekhona ukuthanda kwam, kodwa okwakho.” (Luka 22:42) Wayethandaza kubani ukuba wayengathandazi kuMntu ongaphezulu kuye? Yaye yayinguThixo owavusa uYesu ekufeni, kungekhona uYesu ngokwakhe.—IZenzo 2:32.

Ngaloo ndlela, iBhayibhile ibonisa ukuba uYehova nguThixo uSomandla, yaye uYesu nguNyana wakhe. Aba babini babengalingani ngaphambi kokuba uYesu eze emhlabeni okanye ngethuba wayephila emhlabeni; yaye uYesu akazange alingane noYise emva kokuba evuselwe ezulwini. (1 Korinte 11:3; 15:28) Njengoko sele sibonile, into ebizwa ngokuba ngumntu wesithathu kuBathathu Emnye, umoya oyingcwele, asingomntu. Kunoko, ngamandla kaThixo awasebenzisayo ukufeza nantoni na ayifunayo. Ngoko ke, uBathathu Emnye asiyomfundiso efumaneka eZibhalweni. a IBhayibhile ithi: “UYehova uThixo wethu nguYehova mnye.”—Duteronomi 6:4.

 Mazi Kakuhle UThixo

Ukuze simthande uThixo size sizinikele kuye ngokupheleleyo, sifanele simazi ngendlela ayiyo ngokwenene. Sinokumazi njani kakuhle uThixo? IBhayibhile ithi: “Iimpawu zakhe ezingabonakaliyo zibonwa ngokucacileyo ukususela ekudalweni kwehlabathi kuse phambili, ngenxa yokuba ziqondeka ngezinto ezenziweyo, kwanamandla angunaphakade nobuThixo bakhe.” (Roma 1:20) Enye indlela yokumazi kakuhle uThixo kukuqwalasela nokucingisisa sinoxabiso ngoko akudalileyo.

Noko ke, indalo ayisixeleli konke esifanele sikwazi ngoThixo. Ngokomzekelo, ukuze siqonde ukuba unguMntu wokwenene womoya nonegama elikhethekileyo, sifanele sijonge eBhayibhileni. Enyanisweni, ukufundisisa iBhayibhile yeyona ndlela ifanelekileyo yokumazi kakuhle uThixo. KwiZibhalo, uYehova usixelela ngakumbi ngohlobo loThixo anguye. Ukwaveza neenjongo zakhe kuthi yaye usifundisa iindlela zakhe. (Amosi 3:7; 2 Timoti 3:16, 17) Kusivuyisa gqitha ukwazi ukuba uThixo ufuna ‘sifikelele elwazini oluchanileyo lwenyaniso’ ukuze sizuze kumalungiselelo akhe othando! (1 Timoti 2:4) Ngoko ke, masenze wonke umgudu ukuze sifunde konke esinokukufunda ngoYehova.

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 5]

UThixo wasebenzisa umoya wakhe oyingcwele ukudala umhlaba nokuphefumlela amadoda ukuze abhale iBhayibhile

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 5]

Ilizwi eliphuma emazulwini lathi: “Lo nguNyana wam”

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 7]

UYesu wathandaza kuThixo—kuMntu ongaphezulu kunaye

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 7]

UYesu wabazisa abanye igama likaThixo

[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 7]

Sinokumazi kakuhle uThixo