Iqiniso Ngesono

UKHONA yini umuntu ongazikhohlisa enze sengathi akanazo izikweletu ngokulahla izincwadi zezikweletu athunyelelwa zona? Cha. Ngokufanayo, ukuthi abaningi bawushaya indiva umbono kaNkulunkulu ngesono akusho ukuthi isono asikho. IZwi lakhe, iBhayibheli, lisitshela okuningi ngale ndaba. Yini ngempela elisifundisa yona ngesono?

Sonke Siyona

Eminyakeni eyizinkulungwane ezimbili edlule, umphostoli uPawulu wezwakalisa ukukhungatheka ngokuthi ‘okuhle ayekufisa wayengakwenzi, kodwa okubi ayengakufisi yikho ayekwenza umkhuba.’ (Roma 7:19) Kumelwe sikhulume iqiniso, sivume ukuthi isimo sethu siyefana nesikaPawulu. Mhlawumbe sifisa ukuphila ngeMiyalo Eyishumi noma ngemithetho ethile yokuziphatha, kodwa sonke siyehluleka ukunamathela kuyo, sithanda noma singathandi. Akukhona ukuthi siyephula ngamabomu le mithetho; inkinga iwukuthi siyehluleka. Kungani kunjalo? UPawulu ngokwakhe usinikeza impendulo: “Manje, uma engingakufisi kuyikho engikwenzayo, akusemina okwenzayo, kodwa yisono esihlezi kimi.”—Roma 7:20.

NjengoPawulu, bonke abantu bazalwa benobuthakathaka—ubufakazi besono nokungapheleli esakuzuza ngefa. Lo mphostoli wathi: “Bonke bonile futhi bayasilela enkazimulweni kaNkulunkulu.” Kubangelwa yini lokhu? UPawulu uyaqhubeka: “Ngomuntu oyedwa [u-Adamu] isono sangena ezweni nokufa kwangena ngesono, futhi kanjalo ukufa kwasakazekela kubantu bonke ngenxa yokuthi bonke bonile.”—Roma 3:23; 5:12.

Nakuba abaningi bengavumelani nokuthi ukona kwabazali bethu bokuqala kwasihlukanisa noNkulunkulu futhi kwasiphuca ukuphelela, empeleni yilokho kanye iBhayibheli elikufundisayo. Ngokucaphuna izahluko zokuqala zikaGenesise njengezinegunya, uJesu wabonisa ukuthi wayekholelwa endabeni ka-Adamu no-Eva.—Genesise 1:27; 2:24; 5:2; Mathewu 19:1-5.

Omunye umyalezo oyinhloko oseBhayibhelini yilowo othi uJesu weza emhlabeni ukuze ahlenge esonweni abantu ababonisa ukholo kuye. (Johane 3:16) Amathemba ethu ekusasa axhomeke ekwamukeleni kwethu indlela uJehova asiza ngayo abantu abanokwazisa enkingeni abangakwazi ukuyixazulula. Kodwa uma singasiqondi ngokucacile isono ngokombono kaNkulunkulu ngeke siyazi futhi siyazise indlela ayilungiselele ukuze asihlenge.

Kungani Umhlatshelo KaJesu Wawudingeka?

UJehova wanika umuntu wokuqala ithemba lokuphila phakade. U-Adamu wayeyolahlekelwa yilelo lungelo elihle kuphela uma evukela uNkulunkulu. Nembala wavukela, futhi lokho kwamenza isoni. (Genesise 2:15-17; 3:6) U-Adamu akenzanga ngokwentando kaNkulunkulu; akenzanga lokho okulindeleke kumuntu ophelele, ngakho walimaza ubuhlobo bakhe noNkulunkulu. Lapho ona ngokwephula umthetho kaNkulunkulu, waqala ukuguga futhi ekugcineni wafa. Okudabukisayo ukuthi yonke inzalo yakhe—kuhlanganise nathi—izalelwa esonweni, futhi iyafa. Kungani?

Impendulo ilula. Abazali abangaphelele abanakuzala izingane eziphelele. Yonke inzalo ka-Adamu izalwa iyizoni. Umphostoli uPawulu uthi “inkokhelo yesono ngukufa.” (Roma 6:23) Nokho, ingxenye yokugcina yalelo vesi isinika ithemba: “Kodwa isipho uNkulunkulu asinikezayo ngukuphila okuphakade ngoKristu Jesu iNkosi yethu.” Lokhu kusho ukuthi ngokufa kukaJesu okuwumhlatshelo, abantu abalalelayo nabanokwazisa bangahlanzwa emiphumeleni  yesono sika-Adamu. * (Mathewu 20:28; 1 Petru 1:18, 19) Lokhu kufanele kukwenze uzizwe kanjani?

Uthando LukaKristu “Luyasiqhubezela”

UNkulunkulu waphefumulela umphostoli uPawulu ukuba asinike impendulo yombuzo ongenhla. Wabhala: “Uthando uKristu analo luyasiqhubezela, ngoba yilokhu esikubonile, ukuthi umuntu oyedwa wafela bonke; . . . futhi wafela bonke ukuze labo abaphilayo bangabe besaziphilela bona, kodwa baphilele lowo owabafela wabuye wavuswa.” (2 Korinte 5:14, 15) Uma umuntu eqonda ukuthi umhlatshelo kaJesu unamandla okumkhulula emiphumeleni yesono—futhi efisa ukubonisa ukubonga ngalelo lungiselelo—kufanele azame ukuphila ngokuvumelana nendlela uNkulunkulu afuna aphile ngayo. Lokhu kuhlanganisa nokuba athole ukuthi yini uNkulunkulu ayifunayo, aqeqeshe unembeza wakhe ngezimiso zeBhayibheli bese ephila ngokuvumelana nazo.—Johane 17:3, 17.

Ukwenza izinto ezingalungile kuyabulimaza ubuhlobo bethu noJehova uNkulunkulu. Lapho iNkosi uDavide iqaphela ukuthi yayone kakhulu kangakanani ngokuphinga noBhati-sheba nokubulala umyeni wakhe, akungabazeki ukuthi yazisola kakhulu. Kodwa eyayikukhathalela kunakho konke—kube kufanele—ukuthi yayone kuNkulunkulu. Ngokukhulu ukuzisola, yalivuma iphutha layo kuJehova. Yathi: “Ngoné kuwe wena wedwa, ngenzé okubi emehlweni akho.” (IHubo 51:4) Ngokufanayo, lapho uJosefa elingelwa ukuba aphinge, unembeza wakhe wamsiza ukuba azibuze: “Ngingabenza kanjani lobu bubi obukhulu kangaka ngone kuNkulunkulu?”—Genesise 39:9.

Ngakho-ke, isono asiwona nje umuzwa wokuzizwa sinecala ngoba kungenzeka siye sabanjwa senza okubi. Asiyona nje indaba yokwesaba ukuthi abantu bazokwazi ngento embi okungenzeka siyenzile bese kudingeka sizivikele. Ukwephula imithetho kaNkulunkulu ephathelene nobulili, ukwethembeka, ukuhlonipha, ukukhulekela, neminye kulimaza ubuhlobo bethu naye. Uma senza isono ngamabomu, sizenza izitha zikaNkulunkulu. Leli yiqiniso elidinga silicabangisise.—1 Johane 3:4, 8.

 Yini-ke eshintshile esonweni? Iqiniso liwukuthi akukho okushintshile, kunalokho, abantu sebeqale ukusibiza ngamanye amagama ngethemba lokuthi ngeke sibonakale siyinto embi kakhulu. Abaningi bayawubulala unembeza wabo noma bawushalazele lapho ubakhuza. Bonke abafuna ukwamukelwa uNkulunkulu kumelwe balwe nalokhu kuthambekela. Njengoba sifundile, inkokhelo yesono ayikona ukuthi abanye bazokwazi into embi oyenzile noma amahloni abangelwa yileso senzo, kodwa iwukufa. Isono siyindaba yokufa nokuphila.

Okujabulisayo ukuthi singayithola intethelelo ngomhlatshelo kaJesu okhulula ezonweni uma siphenduka ngobuqotho futhi sizishiye. UPawulu wabhala: “Bayajabula abazenzo zabo zokungabi namthetho zixolelwe nabazono zabo zimboziwe; uyajabula umuntu osono sakhe uJehova angasoze asibala.”—Roma 4:7, 8.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Ibhokisi/Isithombe ekhasini 10]

Inkolelo Eyashintshwa Ngokuphelele

Sekuyisikhathi eside iningi lamaKatolika lingayiqondi kahle imfundiso yeLimbo. Emashumini eminyaka amuva, iye yaphela kancane kancane–kangangokuthi ayisekho ngisho nakuyikhathekizimu. Ngo-2007, iSonto LamaKatolika labhala futhi lasayina incwadi eyayiqeda nya imfundiso yeLimbo futhi kuleyo ncwadi kwakubekwe “izizathu ezingokwenkolo zokuthi izinsana ezishona zingakabhapathizwa kungenzeka ziyasindiswa futhi zijabule phakade.”—International Theological Commission.

Kungani kuye kwenziwa ushintsho olukhulu kangaka? Ngokuyisisekelo, lolu shintsho luye lwasiza isonto ukuba lingabe lisathwala lokho umbhali waseFrance, uHenri Tincq, akubiza ngokuthi “ifa elisindayo ebelilokhu livikelwa yiSonto elingungqo shishilizi kusukela eNkathini Ephakathi kuya ekhulwini leminyaka lama-20, ukuze lethuse abazali ngeLimbo ukuba babhapathize izingane zabo ngokushesha ngangokunokwenzeka.” Kodwa ukushintshwa kwale nkolelo kuphakamisa eminye imibuzo.

Yayisekelwe Kuyinkolelo-ze Noma EmiBhalweni? Umlando uthi inkolelo yeLimbo yavela ezimpikiswaneni zezazi zenkolo ezaqala ngekhulu le-12 ezihlobene nemfundiso yesihlanzo. ISonto LamaKatolika lalifundisa ukuthi ngemva kokufa umphefumulo uyaphuma. Ngakho, kwadingeka lichaze ukuthi ishonaphi-ke imiphefumulo yezingane okuthiwa azinakuya ezulwini ngoba azibhapathiziwe kodwa ngesikhathi esifanayo azifanelwe isihogo. Yavela kanjalo-ke imfundiso yeLimbo.

Nokho, iBhayibheli alifundisi ukuthi umphefumulo uyasinda ngemva kokufa komuntu. Kunalokho, likubeka ngokucacile ukuthi imiphefumulo eyonayo ‘ingabhujiswa’ noma ‘ingafa.’ (IzEnzo 3:23; Hezekeli 18:4, Douay-Rheims Version) Njengoba umphefumulo ufa, indawo efana neLimbo ayinakuba khona. Ngaphezu kwalokho, iBhayibheli lithi ukufa kuyisimo sokungezwa lutho, esicishe sifane nokuba sebuthongweni.—UmShumayeli 9:5, 10; Johane 11:11-14.

IBhayibheli libonisa ukuthi uNkulunkulu ubheka izingane ezizalwa abazali abangamaKristu njengezingcwele. (1 Korinte 7:14) Amazwi afana nalawa abengeke abe nengqondo ukube bekudingeka izinsana zibhapathizwe ukuze zithole insindiso.

Imfundiso yeLimbo yayimhlambalaza ngempela uNkulunkulu, imchaza njengomashiqela ononya ojezisa abantu abangenacala, kunokuba imchaze njengoBaba onobulungisa nonothando. (Duteronomi 32:4; Mathewu 5:45; 1 Johane 4:8) Akumangazi-ke ukuthi le mfundiso engekho emiBhalweni ibilokhu ingenangqondo kumaKristu aqotho!

[Izithombe ekhasini 9]

Ukuphila ngokuvumelana neZwi likaNkulunkulu kwenza sibe nobuhlobo obuhle noNkulunkulu nabantu