Ingabe ‘Ugxilile Futhi Umi Esisekelweni’?
INGABE wake wawubuka umuthi omkhulu unyakaziswa isivunguvungu? Nakuba isivunguvungu siwushaya ngamandla awuwi. Ngani? Ngoba unezimpande eziqinile nezingene zajula emhlabathini. Nathi singafana nalowo muthi. Lapho sibhekene nezinkinga ezinjengezivunguvungu ekuphileni, nathi singakhuthazela uma sihlale ‘sigxilile futhi simi esisekelweni.’ (Efe. 3:14-17) Siyini leso sisekelo?
IZwi likaNkulunkulu lithi ‘uKristu Jesu ngokwakhe uyitshe legumbi lesisekelo’ sebandla lobuKristu. (Efe. 2:20; 1 Kor. 3:11) NjengamaKristu sikhuthazwa ukuba ‘siqhubeke simunye naye, sigxilile futhi sakhiwa kuye futhi sisimamiswa okholweni.’ Uma senza kanjalo, siyokwazi ukumelana nakho konke ukuhlaselwa kokholo lwethu—kuhlanganise nalokho okuqhamuka “ngezinkulumo ezithonyayo” ezisekelwe ‘enkohlisweni eyize’ yabantu.—Kol. 2:4-8.
“Ububanzi Nobude Nokuphakama Nokujula”
Nokho, ‘singagxila futhi sisimamiswe kanjani okholweni’? Enye indlela ebalulekile iwukujulisa ngokomfanekiso izimpande zethu emhlabathini futhi lokho singakwenza ngokutadisha ngenkuthalo iZwi likaNkulunkulu eliphefumulelwe. UJehova ufuna ukuba ‘sibuqonde kanye nabo bonke abangcwele ububanzi nobude nokuphakama nokujula’ kweqiniso. (Efe. 3:18) Ngakho-ke, akekho umKristu okufanele aneliswe nje ukuqonda okukha phezulu, aneliswe ukwazi “izinto zokucathula” kuphela ezitholakala eZwini likaNkulunkulu. (Heb. 5:12; 6:1) Kunalokho, ngamunye wethu kufanele akulangazelele ukujulisa ukuqonda kwakhe amaqiniso eBhayibheli.—IzAga 2:1-5.
Yiqiniso, lokhu akusho ukuthi kudingeka sibe nolwazi oluningi kuphela ukuze ‘sigxile futhi sime’ eqinisweni. Ingani noSathane uyakwazi lokho okuseBhayibhelini. Kudingeka okungaphezu kolwazi. Kudingeka ‘sazi uthando lukaKristu oludlula ulwazi.’ (Efe. 3:19) Nokho, lapho sitadisha ngoba sithanda uJehova neqiniso, ulwazi olwengeziwe olunembile lweZwi likaNkulunkulu esilutholayo luyoqinisa ukholo lwethu.—Kol. 2:2.
Hlola Ukuqonda Kwakho
Okwamanje, kunganjani uhlole ukuqonda kwakho amaqiniso ambalwa abalulekile atholakala eBhayibhelini? Ukwenza lokho kungase kukukhuthaze ukuba ukukhuthalele ngokwengeziwe ukulitadisha. Ngokwesibonelo, funda amavesi okuqala encwadi umphostoli uPawulu ayibhalela abase-Efesu. (Bheka ibhokisi elithi “Kwabase-Efesu.”) Ngemva kokufunda la mavesi, zibuze, ‘Ingabe ngiyaqonda ukuthi zisho ukuthini izinkulumo ezibhalwe ngomalukeke ezikula mavesi asebhokisini?’ Ake sixoxe ngazo, ngayinye ngesikhathi.
Bamiselwa “Ngaphambi Kokusungulwa Kwezwe”
UPawulu wabhalela amaKristu akanye nawo: “[UNkulunkulu] wasimisela kusengaphambili ukutholwa njengamadodana kuye ngoJesu Kristu.” Empeleni, uJehova wanquma ukuthi wayeyothatha abantu abathile ukuze babe ingxenye yomkhaya wakhe ophelele wasezulwini. La madodana kaNkulunkulu okutholwa ayobusa noKristu njengamakhosi nabapristi. (Roma 8:19-23; IsAm. 5:9, 10) Enseleleni yokuqala uSathane ayibekela ubukhosi bukaJehova, wagigiyela ukuthi indalo kaNkulunkulu engabantu yayinesici. Ngakho, yeka ukuthi kufaneleka kanjani ukuba uJehova akhethe kuwo kanye umkhaya wabantu amalungu ayoba nendima ekuqedeni bonke ububi endaweni yonke, kuhlanganise nomsunguli wobubi, uSathane uDeveli! Nokho, uJehova akazange anqume kusengaphambili ukuthi ibaphi ayeyobakhetha ukuba babe amadodana akhe. Kunalokho, uNkulunkulu wanquma ukuthi kwakuyoba neqembu, noma isigaba sabantu esasiyobusa noKristu ezulwini.—IsAm. 14:3, 4.
Iliphi “izwe” uPawulu ayekhuluma ngalo lapho ebhalela amanye amaKristu ukuthi njengeqembu, babekhethwe “ngaphambi kokusungulwa kwezwe”? Wayengakhulumi ngesikhathi sangaphambi kokuba uNkulunkulu adale umhlaba noma isintu. Lokho kwakuyongqubuzana nesimiso esiyisisekelo sobulungisa. U-Adamu no-Eva babengabekwa kanjani icala ngezenzo zabo uma uNkulunkulu ayenqume kusengaphambili ukuthi babeyokona ngisho nangaphambi kokuba abadale? Ngakho, uNkulunkulu wayinquma nini indlela ayezolungisa ngayo isimo esaba khona lapho u-Adamu no-Eva behlanganyela noSathane ekuvukeleni ubukhosi baKhe? Wayinquma ngemva nje kokuba abazali bethu bokuqala behlubukile kodwa ngaphambi kokuba isintu esingaphelele esihlengekayo sibe khona.
“Ngokwengcebo Yomusa Wakhe Ongafanelwe”
Kungani uPawulu athi amalungiselelo okukhulunywa ngawo emavesini okuqala asencwadini yabase-Efesu enziwa “ngokwengcebo yomusa [kaNkulunkulu] ongafanelwe”? Wakusho lokhu ukuze agcizelele ukuthi uJehova wayengabophekile ukuba ahlenge isintu esonweni.
Kahle-hle akekho kithi ongathi uyakufanelekela ukukhululwa. Nokho, eshukunyiswa uthando lwakhe olujulile ngomkhaya wesintu, uJehova wenza amalungiselelo akhethekile ukuze asikhulule. Sicabanga ngokungapheleli nangokuba kwethu nesono, ngempela ukuhlengwa kwethu kuwumusa ongafanelwe, njengoba kwasho uPawulu.
Imfihlo Engcwele Yenjongo KaNkulunkulu
Ekuqaleni uNkulunkulu akazange ayembule indlela ayeyolungisa ngayo umonakalo owabangelwa uSathane. ‘Kwakuyimfihlo engcwele.’ (Efe. 3:4, 5) Kamuva, lapho kumiswa ibandla lobuKristu, uJehova wembula imininingwane yendlela ayezoyifeza ngayo injongo yakhe yasekuqaleni ngesintu nangomhlaba. UPawulu wachaza ukuthi “lapho kugcwala isilinganiso sezikhathi ezimisiwe,” uNkulunkulu wayeyosebenzisa isimiso “sokuqondisa,” ekugcineni esasiyobangela ukuba zonke izidalwa zakhe ezihlakaniphile zibe munye.
Isinyathelo sokuqala salokho kuhlanganiswa kwazo saqala ngePhentekoste lika-33 C.E. lapho uJehova eqala ukubutha labo ababeyobusa noKristu ezulwini. (IzE. 1:13-15; 2:1-4) Esesibili kwakuyoba ukubuthelwa ndawonye kwalabo abayophila epharadesi emhlabeni lapho sekubusa uMbuso KaMesiya. (IsAm. 7:14-17; 21:1-5) Inkulumo ethi ‘isimiso sokuqondisa’ ayibhekiseli eMbusweni KaMesiya, ngoba wona waze wamiswa ngo-1914. Kunalokho, ibhekisela endleleni kaNkulunkulu yokusingatha noma yokuqondisa izinto ukuze afeze injongo yakhe yokubuyisela ubunye kuzo zonke izidalwa zakhe.
‘Khula Ngokugcwele Emandleni Okuqonda’
Ngokuqinisekile, imikhuba emihle yokutadisha iyokusiza ukuba ubuqonde ngokugcwele “ububanzi nobude nokuphakama nokujula” kweqiniso. Nokho, asingabazi nokuthi indlela yokuphila komuntu kwanamuhla okusheshayo yenza kube lula ukuba uSathane ayenze buthaka leyo mikhuba noma ayiqede. Ungamvumeli ukuba akwenze kuwe lokho. Sebenzisa “amandla engqondo” owanikwe uNkulunkulu ukuze ‘ukhule ngokugcwele emandleni okuqonda.’ (1 Joh. 5:20; 1 Kor. 14:20) Qiniseka ngokuthi uyasiqonda isizathu sezinkolelo zakho nangokuthi njalo ungasinikeza ‘isizathu sethemba lakho.’—1 Pet. 3:15.
Ake sithi wawukhona e-Efesu lapho incwadi kaPawulu ifundwa okokuqala. Ingabe amazwi akhe ayeyokushukumisela ukuba ufune ukukhula “olwazini olunembile ngeNdodana kaNkulunkulu”? (Efe. 4:13, 14) Ngokuqinisekile! Ngakho-ke, vumela amazwi kaPawulu aphefumulelwe ukuba akushukumise ngendlela efanayo namuhla. Ukuba nothando olujulile ngoJehova nokuba nolwazi olunembile ngeZwi lakhe kuyokusiza ukuba uhlale ‘ugxilile futhi umi esisekelweni’ esinguKristu. Ngaleyo ndlela, uyokwazi ukukhuthazelela noma isiphi isivunguvungu uSathane angase akubangele sona ngaphambi kokuba leli zwe elibi libhujiswe ngokuphelele.—IHu. 1:1-3; Jer. 17:7, 8.
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“Kwabase-Efesu”
“Makabongwe uNkulunkulu noYise weNkosi yethu uJesu Kristu, ngoba usibusise kuKristu ngazo zonke izibusiso ezingokomoya ezindaweni zasezulwini, njengoba nje asikhethela kuye ngaphambi kokusungulwa kwezwe, ukuze sibe ngcwele futhi singabi nasici othandweni phambi kwakhe. Ngoba wasimisela kusengaphambili ukutholwa njengamadodana kuye ngoJesu Kristu, ngokwentando yakhe, ukuze kudunyiswe umusa wakhe ongafanelwe okhazimulayo asinika wona ngomusa ngothandiweyo wakhe. Ngaye sitholé ukukhululwa ngesihlengo esingegazi lakhe lowo, yebo, ukuthethelelwa kweziphambeko zethu, ngokwengcebo yomusa wakhe ongafanelwe. Lona wawenza ukuba uvame kithi ngakho konke ukuhlakanipha nokuqonda okuhle, ngenxa yokuthi wasazisa imfihlo engcwele yentando yakhe. Kuvumelana nentando yakhe ayeyijongile kuye ngokwakhe, ukuba kube nesimiso sokuqondisa lapho kugcwala isilinganiso sezikhathi ezimisiwe, okuwukuthi, ukuphinde abuthele ndawonye zonke izinto kuKristu, izinto ezisezulwini nezinto ezisemhlabeni.”—Efe. 1:3-10.