Obani AbangamaKristu Eqiniso?

“UBUKRISTU bubonakala ngokubonisa ukwazi uJesu Kristu ngamazwi nangezenzo.” (On Being a Christian) Ngalawo mazwi, isazi semfundiso yenkolo saseSwitzerland, uHans Küng, sibeka iqiniso elisobala: UbuKristu beqiniso buba khona kuphela uma abantu abaqotho besebenzisa izimfundiso zikaJesu.

Kuthiwani-ke uma izinhlangano noma abantu bethi bangabalandeli bakaKristu, kodwa empeleni bebe bengenzi izinto uJesu azifundisa? UJesu ngokwakhe washo ukuthi abaningi bayothi bangamaKristu. Babeyobala izinto ezihlukahlukene abazenzile bezama ukufakazela ukuthi babemkhonzile, bathi: “Asiprofethanga yini egameni lakho, saxosha amademoni egameni lakho, senza nemisebenzi eminingi yamandla egameni lakho na?” UJesu uyobaphendula athini? Akananazi ngokuqondene nesahlulelo abayosithola: “Angikaze nginazi! Sukani kimi, nina abenza okungemthetho.”—Mathewu 7:22, 23.

Yeka isixwayiso esiqinile esitholwa “abenza okungemthetho” abathi balandela uJesu! Cabangela imibandela emibili ebalulekile eyenza uJesu abheke abantu njengamaKristu eqiniso kunokuba abalahle athi bangabenzi bokungemthetho.

“Uma Ninothando Phakathi Kwenu”

Umbandela wokuqala uJesu awubekayo yilo: “Ngininika umyalo omusha, wokuba nithandane; njengoba nje nami nginithandile, ukuba nani nithandane. Bonke bayokwazi ngalokho ukuthi ningabafundi bami, uma ninothando phakathi kwenu.”—Johane 13:34, 35.

UJesu ufuna abalandeli bakhe bathandane ngempela, bathande naso sonke isintu. AmaKristu amaningi aye akwenza lokhu phakathi namakhulu amaningi eminyaka ngemva kokubuyela kukaJesu ezulwini. Kodwa kuthiwani ngezinhlangano zenkolo eziningi eziye zathi zimelela uKristu? Ingabe umlando ubonisa ukuthi zilubonisile uthando? Lutho neze. Kunalokho, ziye zahola ezimpini nasezingxabanweni eziningi lapho kuye kwafa khona abantu abangenacala.—IsAmbulo 18:24.

Lesi simo siye saqhubeka kwaze kwaba sezikhathini zanamuhla. Izizwe ezithi zingamaKristu yizo ezazihola ekubulaweni kwabantu ezimpini zezwe ezimbili ekhulwini leminyaka lama-20. Muva nje, amalungu amasonto athi angawobuKristu ahola ezenzweni zonya nasemzamweni wokuqothula isizwe eRwanda ngo-1994. Owayengumbhishobhi omkhulu waseSheshi, uDesmond Tutu, uyabhala: “Abantu ábenza lezi zenzo zonya kwabanye babengabenkolo efanayo. Abaningi babengamaKristu.”

“Uma Nihlala Ezwini Lami”

Umbandela wesibili oyimfuneko yobuKristu beqiniso washiwo uJesu lapho ethi: “Uma nihlala ezwini lami, ningabafundi bami ngempela, niyolazi iqiniso, futhi iqiniso liyonikhulula.”—Johane 8:31, 32.

UJesu ulindele abalandeli bakhe ukuba bahlale ezwini lakhe—okungukuthi, banamathele ezimfundisweni zakhe. Esikhundleni sokwenza lokho, abefundisi benkolo abathi balandela uKristu baye “baqhubeka bamukela imibono yobuGreki,” kusho isazi semfundiso yenkolo, uKüng. Kunokuba basebenzise izimfundiso zikaJesu baye bafaka ezinye esikhundleni sazo, ezihlanganisa izinkolelo ezinjengokungafi komphefumulo, ukukholelwa esihlanzweni, ukukhulekela uMariya nezigaba zabefundisi—okuyizimfundiso zezinkolo zamaqaba nezazi zefilosofi.—1 Korinte 1:19-21; 3:18-20.

Abefundisi benkolo bafaka nemfundiso engaqondakali kaZiqu-zintathu, ebeka uJesu esikhundleni esiphakeme kakhulu angazange athi unaso. Ngokwenza lokho, bachezukisa abantu, babenza bayeka ukukhulekela Lowo uJesu athi kufanele akhulekelwe—uYise, uJehova. (Mathewu 5:16; 6:9; Johane 14:28; 20:17) UHans Küng uyabhala: “Lapho uJesu ekhuluma ngoNkulunkulu, usho uNkulunkulu wamandulo wezinzalamizi o-Abrahama, u-Isaka noJakobe: [KuJesu], uYahweh . . . ungukuphela kukaNkulunkulu okhona.” Bangaki abantu namuhla abavele bahlobanise uNkulunkulu, uYise kaJesu noYahweh, noma uJehova, njengoba leli gama libhalwa kanjalo ngesiZulu?

Abaholi benkolo baye bawushiya ngokuphelele umyalo kaJesu wokungathathi hlangothi ezindabeni zezombusazwe. UTrevor Morrow uthi osukwini lukaJesu, iGalile “laliyisizinda sokushisekela ubuzwe.” AmaJuda amaningi alwa ezimpini ukuze athole inkululeko kwezombusazwe nakwezenkolo. Ingabe uJesu wabatshela abalandeli bakhe ukuba balwe kulezo zimpi? Cha. Kunalokho, wathi kubo: “Aniyona ingxenye yezwe.” (Johane 15:19; 17:14) Nokho, esikhundleni sokungathathi hlangothi, abaholi bamasonto baqala lokho umbhali wase-Ireland uHubert Butler akuchaza ngokuthi “amasonto afundisa ezempi nezombusazwe.” Uyabhala: “UbuKristu obusekela ezombusazwe cishe njalo busekela nezempi, futhi lapho ababusi bezwe nabefundisi befika ezivumelwaneni ezithile, futhi abefundisi bethenjiswa okuthile, iSonto libe-ke selibusisa amasosha alelo zwe.”

Abafundisi Bamanga Baphika UJesu

Umphostoli uPawulu waxwayisa ngokuhlehla ebuKristwini beqiniso. Wathi ngemva kokufa kwakhe, “izimpisi ezicindezelayo,” ezivela kulabo abathi bangamaKristu, ‘zaziyokhuluma izinto ezisontekile ukuze zimonyule abafundi ukuba bazilandele.’ (IzEnzo 20:29, 30) ‘Zaziyovuma obala ukuthi ziyamazi uNkulunkulu’ kodwa empeleni ‘zimphike ngemisebenzi yazo.’ (Thithu 1:16) Nomphostoli uPetru waxwayisa ngokuthi abafundisi bamanga ‘babeyongenisa ngesinyenyela amahlelo abhubhisayo futhi babeyophika ngisho nomnikazi owabathenga.’ Wathi leyo nkambo yabo embi yayizokwenza abantu ‘bahlambalaze indlela yeqiniso.’ (2 Petru 2:1, 2) Isazi sesiGreki uW. E. Vine sithi ukuphika uKristu ngale ndlela, kusho “ukuphika uBaba neNdodana ngokuhlubuka nangokusakaza izimfundiso eziyingozi.”

Yini uJesu ayeyoyenza uma labo abathi bangabafundi bakhe ngamabomu ‘bengahlali ezwini lakhe’ futhi bahlangabezane nezimfuneko azibeka? Waxwayisa: “Noma ubani ongiphikayo phambi kwabantu, nami ngiyomphika phambi kukaBaba osemazulwini.” (Mathewu 10:33) Yebo, uJesu akamphiki umuntu owenza iphutha nakuba efisa ngobuqotho ukwethembeka. Ngokwesibonelo, nakuba umphostoli uPetru aphika uJesu kathathu, waphenduka futhi wathethelelwa. (Mathewu 26:69-75) UJesu uphika izinhlangano noma abantu abayizimpisi kodwa abambethe isikhumba semvu—abenza sengathi balandela uKristu kodwa baphikelele ngamabomu benqaba izimfundiso zakhe. UJesu washo la mazwi ngalaba bafundisi bamanga: “Labo bantu niyobazi ngezithelo zabo.”—Mathewu 7:15-20.

Kufa Abaphostoli, Kuvuka Ukuhlubuka

Aqala nini amaKristu amanga ukuphika uKristu? Ngokushesha ngemva kokufa kwakhe. Yena ngokwakhe waxwayisa ngokuthi uSathane uDeveli wayengeke achithe isikhathi, wayeyohlwanyela “ukhula,” noma amaKristu amanga, phakathi ‘kwembewu enhle,’ noma amaKristu eqiniso, ayihlwanyela phakathi nenkonzo yakhe. (Mathewu 13:24, 25, 37-39) Umphostoli uPawulu waxwayisa ngokuthi abafundisi abakhohlisayo base bekhona kakade osukwini lwakhe. Wathi isizathu esikhulu sokuphambuka kwabo ezimfundisweni zikaJesu Kristu ukuthi babengenalo “uthando [lwangempela] ngeqiniso.”—2 Thesalonika 2:10.

Ngesikhathi besaphila, abaphostoli bakaJesu Kristu babenjengomgoqo ovimbela lokhu kuhlubuka. Nokho, ngemva kokufa kwabo, abaholi benkolo basebenzisa ‘yonke imisebenzi yamandla nezibonakaliso zamanga nezimangaliso nayo yonke inkohliso engalungile’ ukuze badukise futhi bachezukise abantu abaningi emaqinisweni afundiswa uJesu nabaphostoli bakhe. (2 Thesalonika 2:3, 6-12) Isazi sefilosofi esiyiNgisi uBertrand Russell sithi kungakabiphi, ibandla lobuKristu lokuqala lashintshwa laba inhlangano engokwenkolo “eyayingashaqisa uJesu, ngisho noPawulu imbala.”

Ukubuyiselwa KobuKristu Beqiniso

Amaqiniso asobala. Ngemva kokufa kwabaphostoli, uKristu akazange abe nesandla ezintweni eziningi ezenziwa egameni lobuKristu. Nokho, lesi simo asisho ukuthi uJesu uhlulekile ukugcina isithembiso sakhe sokuba nabalandeli bakhe “izinsuku zonke kuze kube isiphelo sesimiso sezinto.” (Mathewu 28:20) Singaqiniseka ngokuthi selokhu asho lawo mazwi, bekulokhu kunabantu abathembekile ‘ababonisa ukumazi uJesu Kristu ngamazwi nangezenzo.’ UJesu Kristu uye wasigcina isithembiso sakhe sokusekela labo bantu ngenxa yokuthi bazamile ukubonisa uthando oluphawula amaKristu eqiniso nokuhlala bethembekile emaqinisweni awafundisa.

Okuhle nakakhulu ukuthi uJesu wathembisa ukuthi ezinsukwini zokugcina zalesi simiso sezinto, uyobutha abafundi bakhe abathembekile abafake ebandleni lobuKristu elibonakala ngokucacile ayeyolisebenzisela ukufeza intando yakhe. (Mathewu 24:14, 45-47) Uyalisebenzisa kwamanje lelo bandla ukuze abuthele ndawonye “isixuku esikhulu” samadoda, abesifazane nezingane ‘esiphuma kuzo zonke izizwe nezinhlanga nabantu nezilimi,’ futhi usihlanganisa ngaphansi kobunhloko bakhe sibe “mhlambi munye” ngaphansi ‘komalusi oyedwa.’—IsAmbulo 7:9, 14-17; Johane 10:16; Efesu 4:11-16.

Ngakho-ke, phuma kunoma iziphi izinhlangano eziye zangcolisa igama likaKristu zahlambalaza nobuKristu kuyo yonke iminyaka engu-2 000 edlule. Kungenjalo, njengoba nje uJesu Kristu atshela umphostoli uJohane, nawe ungase ‘wamukele ingxenye yezinhlupho zazo’ lapho uNkulunkulu ezahlulela maduze. (IsAmbulo 1:1; 18:4, 5) Zimisele ukuba phakathi kwalabo umprofethi uMika akhuluma ngabo lapho ethi “engxenyeni yokugcina yezinsuku,” abakhulekeli beqiniso—labo abanamathela ebuKristwini beqiniso—bayolalela iziqondiso zikaNkulunkulu futhi ‘bahambe ezindleleni zakhe’ zokukhulekela okuhlanzekile okubuyiselwe. (Mika 4:1-4) Abanyathelisi balo magazini bayokujabulela ukukusiza ukwazi ukubona labo bakhulekeli beqiniso.

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Kungani amaKristu eqiniso engalwi ezimpini?

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Soldiers, left: U.S. National Archives photo; flamethrower, right: U.S. Army Photo

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‘Yibani nothando phakathi kwenu’ futhi ‘hlalani ezwini lami.’ Lena imibandela uJesu ayibekela amaKristu eqiniso