Ingabe UNkulunkulu Uselinqumile Kakade Ikusasa Lethu?

“IZINKINGA eziningi ezicatshangelwayo zaziyogwenywa ukube igama elithi ukunqunyelwa kusengaphambili, ngokuvamile elingaqondwa kahle, lalingasetshenziswa ngokuphelele.” Ungase uzibuze ukuthi kusho ukuthini lokhu, uma uke walisebenzisa leligama elithi “ukunqunyelwa kusengaphambili” noma uke wezwa lisetshenziswa.

Ngokwe-encyclopedia yamuva yamaKatolika aseFrance i-Théo, senza kahle ngokungalisebenzisi igama elithi “ukunqunyelwa kusengaphambili.” Enye incwadi ithi: “Namuhla, ukunqunyelwa kusengaphambili akuseyona indaba okugxilwe kuyo kuzinkulumo-mpikiswano zemfundiso yenkolo, futhi kubonakala kunjalo ngisho nangamaProthestani amaningi.”

Nakuba kunjalo, indaba yokunqunyelwa kusengaphambili iye yaphazamisa abantu abaningi kuwo wonke umlando. Lendaba yaba impikiswano okwagxilwa kuyo eyabangela iNguquko, ngisho naseSontweni LamaKatolika, kwase kungamakhulu amaningi eminyaka iyindaba okuphikiswana ngayo kakhulu. Nakuba ingaseyona inkulumo-mpikiswano enkulu namuhla, isalokhu iyinkinga. Ubani ongafuni ukwazi noma ikusasa lakhe lanqunywa kusengaphambili?

Ukunqunyelwa Kusengaphambili—Incazelo Yegama

Lisho ukuthini igama elithi “ukunqunyelwa kusengaphambili” emasontweni? I-Dictionnaire de théologie catholique ilicabangela “njengeliyinhloso yaphezulu yokuholela abathile, ababizwe ngamagama, ekuphileni okuphakade.” Ngokuvamile kucatshangwa ukuthi labo abakhethiwe, “ababizwe ngamagama,” yilabo umphostoli uPawulu abhekisela kubo encwadini yakhe eya kwabaseRoma, ngamazwi alandelayo: “UNkulunkulu usebenza okuhle ngalabo abamthandayo, ababizelwe injongo yakhe. Ngoba labo abazi ngaphambili wabanqumela kusengaphambili futhi ukuba bavumelane nomfanekiso weNdodana yakhe . . . Futhi labo abanqumela kusengaphambili wababiza; futhi labo ababiza ubabheka futhi njengabalungile; futhi labo ababheka njengabalungile ubakhazimulisile.”—Roma 8:28-30, Revised Standard Version.

Ngisho nangaphambi kokuba bazalwe, abanye abantu kuye kwacatshangwa ukuthi bakhethwe uNkulunkulu ukuze bahlanganyele inkazimulo kaKristu emazulwini. Lokhu kuholela embuzweni osekuyisikhathi eside uyinkulumo-mpikiswano: Ingabe uNkulunkulu ubakhetha ngokunganaki labo afuna ukubasindisa, noma ingabe abantu banenkululeko yokuzikhethela nengxenye okumelwe bayifeze ukuze bathole futhi balondoloze umusa kaNkulunkulu?

U-Augustine, UYise Wokunqunyelwa Kusengaphambili

Nakuba abanye oFata BamaSonto babeke babhala ngokunqunyelwa kusengaphambili, u-Augustine (354-430 C.E.) ngokuvamile ucatshangelwa njengowabekela kokubili amasonto amaKatolika nawamaProthestani isisekelo salenkolelo-mbono. Ngokuka-Augustine, abalungile uNkulunkulu wabanqumela kusengaphambili kusukela phakade ukuba bamukele izibusiso zaphakade. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, abangalungile, nakuba benganqunyelwe kusengaphambili uNkulunkulu ngokuqondile, kumelwe bathole isijeziso esifanele izono zabo, ukulahlwa. Incazelo ka-Augustine iyenza ingabi khona inkululeko yokuzikhethela, ngaleyondlela ivula indlela yokuphikisana okuningi.

Abalandeli Baka-Augustine

Inkulumo-mpikiswano ephathelene nokunqunyelwa kusengaphambili nenkululeko yokuzikhethela yaphinde yavela izikhathi eziningi phakathi neNkathi Ephakathi, futhi yafinyelela ezingeni lokuba kuthathwe isinyathelo phakathi ne-Nguquko. ULuther wabheka ukunqunyelwa kusengaphambili komuntu ngamunye njengokuzikhethela kukaNkulunkulu okukhululekile, ngaphandle kokuba abone kusengaphambili izimfanelo zesikhathi esizayo noma imisebenzi emihle yabakhethiwe. UCalvin wafinyelela isiphetho esiyisisekelo ngokwengeziwe ngomqondo wakhe okabili wokunqunyelwa kusengaphambili: Abanye banqunyelwe insindiso yaphakade, futhi abanye ukulahlwa kwaphakade. Nokho, uCalvin ngokufanayo wacabangela ukukhetha kukaNkulunkulu njengokunganaki, ngisho nokungenakuqondwa.

Lendaba yokunqunyelwa kusengaphambili nendaba ehlobene ngokuseduze “yomusa”—okuyigama amasonto alisebenzisela ukuchaza isenzo sikaNkulunkulu sokusindisa nokubheka abantu njengabalungile—yaba nkulu kakhulu kangangokuba ngo-1611 i-Catholic Holy See yenqabela ukusakazwa kwanoma yini ephathelene nalendaba ngaphandle kwemvume yayo. ESontweni LamaKatolika, izimfundiso zika-Augustine zasekelwa ngokuqinile abalandeli bakaJansen baseFrance bekhulu le-17 nele-18. Baye basekela uhlobo lobuKristu olunonya nolusesigabeni esiphakeme futhi baba nabalandeli abayiziphathimandla. Nakuba kunjalo, impikiswano ngalendaba ayizange iphele. INkosi uLouis XIV yagunyaza ukubhujiswa kwesonto lezindela lasePort-Royal, indawo okwaqala kuyo lomqondo kaJansen.

Emasontweni amaProthestani Aguqukile, lendaba kwakukude ukuba iphele. Bekanye nezinye izinkolo, abaPhikisi Abanamandla, ababelandela uJacobus Arminius, babekholelwa ukuthi umuntu unendima okumelwe ayifeze ukuze asindiswe. UMkhandlu Wabefundisi BamaProthestani waseDordrecht (1618-19) wayixazulula isikhashana lempikiswano lapho uthatha ukuma okuqinile kwemfundiso kaCalvin. Ngokwencwadi ethi L’Aventure de la Réforme—Le monde de Jean Calvin, lempi yokunqunyelwa kusengaphambili nenkululeko yokuzikhethela eJalimane yaqala inkathi yesikhathi eside “yemizamo engaphumeleli yokubuyisana, kanye nokuhlukunyezwa, ukuboshwa, nokuvinjelwa kwezazi zemfundiso yenkolo.”

Ukunqunyelwa Kusengaphambili Noma Inkululeko Yokuzikhethela?

Kusukela ekuqaleni, lemibono emibili engafani ngokuphelele, ukunqunyelwa kusengaphambili nenkululeko yokuzikhethela, ibangele izimpikiswano eziningi ezishubile. U-Augustine ngakolwakhe uhlangothi akakwazanga ukuchaza lokhu kungavumelani. UCalvin ngokufanayo wakubheka njengencazelo yentando yobukhosi bukaNkulunkulu futhi ngenxa yalokho akuchazeki.

Kodwa ingabe lokho okwembulwa iBhayibheli ngezimfanelo nobuntu bukaNkulunkulu kuyasisiza ukuba siyiqonde ngokucace kakhudlwana lemibuzo? Isihloko esilandelayo sizohlola lamaphuzu ngokuningiliziwe.

[Izithombe ekhasini 4]

UCalvin

ULuther

UJansen

[Umthombo]

Pictures: Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris