QALA BONA LELI LITHEMBA ELIRARA KANGANGANI! UmDalethu usithembisa ukusinikela ukuphila okungapheliko ephasinapha. Abanengi bakuthola kubudisi ukukukholelwa lokhu. Abanye bathi, ‘soke kufuze sife.’ Kuthi abanye bona bathi ‘kuyimvelo ukufa nokuphila.’ Abanye bathi singaphila isiphelani kodwana ingasi ephasinapha. Nabaragako bathi ukuphila okungapheliko kutholakala ngemva kokufa bese uya ezulwini. Wena ucabangani?

Ngaphambi kokobana uphendule, akhe ucabangele iimpendulo zemibuzo emithathu ezifumaneka eBhayibhelini: Khuyini etjengisa ukuthi umuntu bekufuze aphile isikhathi esithileko? Uyini umnqopho kaZimu ngephasi kunye nabantu? Ukufa kweza njani ebantwini?

Kizo zoke izinto ezabunjwa nguZimu abantu bahluke khulu kinazo. Kubayini sitjho njalo? IBhayibheli lifundisa ukuthi babantu bodwa ababunjwa ‘ngomfanekiso’ kaZimu begodu ‘bamfuza.’ (Genesisi 1:26, 27) Kutjho ukuthini lokhu? Kutjho ukuthi boke abantu babunjwa banemikghwa nobuntu bakaZimu obunjengethando nobulungisa.

Ukungezelela kilokho, abantu badalwa banekghono lokusebenza, nelokurarulula imiraro ngokucabanga, nekghono lokwazi okuhle nokumbi, netjisakalo yokwazi, nokuba netjhebiswano elitjhideleneko noZimu. Kungebangelo sikghona ukuthokozela izulu nephasi, nobuhle bendalo, ubukghwari, umvumo kunye neenkondlo. Ngaphezu kwakho koke, sinelungelo elikhulu lokwakha itjhebiswano nomDalethu. Ubuntobu busenza sihluke khulu kezinye iimbunjwa eziphila ephasini.

Akhe ucabange: Kghani uZimu bekangasibumba sinobuntu obukarisa kangaka, kunye nekghono lokubuthuthukisa khisibe ngapha ufuna bona siphile isikhatjhana? Iqiniso kukuthi uZimu wasipha ubuntobu namakghono esinawo ngebanga lokuthi ufuna sithabele ukuphila okungapheliko ephasinapha.

Abanye bathi bekungasiwo umnqopho kaZimu bona siphile isiphelani ephasini. Bakholelwa ukuthi iphasi labunjelwa ukuthi sihlale kilo isikhatjhana, libe yindawo yokubandulela abantu abazokuyokuphila ezulwini bebahlale noZimu isiphelani. Nangabe kunjalo, kutjho ukuthi uZimu nguye ongunobangela wobumbi nokonakala okuzele ephasini. Lokho bekuzokuphikisana bunqopha neembunjwa zakaZimu. Nalikhuluma ngaye iBhayibheli lithi: “Zoke iindlela zakhe zilungile. UnguZimu wokwethembeka,  uZimu onganasiphambeko, umsulwa begodu uneqiniso.”—Duteronomi 32:4.

IBhayibheli lembula umnqopho kaZimu wekuthomeni ngephasi nalithi: “Amazulu mazulu kaSomnini, iphasi walinikela abantu.” (IRhubo 115:16) Kuliqiniso, uZimu wabumba iphasi laba lihle walenza bona libe likhaya labantu ngokungapheliko, walizalisa ngezinto esizitlhogako ezenza ukuphila kube nomnqopho kuthabise kungabi nesiphetho.—Genesisi 2:8, 9.

“Amazulu mazulu kaSomnini, iphasi walinikela abantu.”—IRhubo 115:16

IBhayibheli likhuluma ngokunqophileko malungana nomnqopho kaZimu anawo ngabantu. Nakakhuluma nabatjhadikazi bokuthoma wabalayela wathi ‘zalisani iphasi nilibuse; nibuse phezu kweenhlambi zelwandle, iinyoni zomkayi naphezu kwenyabanyaba yoke ekhamba phezu kwephasi.’ (Genesisi 1:28) Qala ilungelo ebebanalo lokunakekela nokunabisa ikhaya labo eliyiPharadesi bona lizale iphasi loke! Kuliqiniso ithemba lepumelelo ebelilindele u-Adamu no-Eva kuhlanganise nenzalwabo bekungelokuphila ngokungapheliko ephasini ingasi umvuzo wokuphila ezulwini.

Alo sifelani? IBhayibheli lithi esinye seembunjwa zommoya zakaZimu, sahlubuka sabanguSathana uDeveli, salinga ukuphambukisa ihlelo lakaZimu e-Edeni. Kubayini senza njalo?

USathana waphambukisa ababelethi bethu bokuthoma, okungu-Adamu no-Eva bona bahlanganyele naye ekuhlubukeni kuZimu. Nakathi uZimu ubafihlela okuhle, malungana nokuzithathela iinqunto ngokuthi khuyini okulungileko nokungakalungi, bathatha ihlangothi lakaSathana bahlubuka kuZimu. Umphumela waba yini? Ngokukhamba kwesikhathi bahlongakala njengombana uZimu atjho. Balahlekelwa lithemba lokuphila ngokungapheliko ePharadesi ephasini.—Genesisi 2:17; 3:1-6; 5:5.

Ukuhlubuka kuka-Adamu no-Eva kwabangela abantu amatlhuwo bekube kunamhlanjesi. IliZwi lakaZimu lithi: “Njengombana isono sangena ephasini ngomuntu munye nokufa kwangena ngesono, yeke ukufa kwarhatjhekela kibo boke abantu ngombana boke bonile.” (Roma 5:12) Siyahlongakala ngebanga lesono nokufa esakufumana ebabelethini bethu bokuthoma, asifi ngombana ukuphila kwethu ‘bekuhlelwe’ kusese ngaphambili nguZimu.

Ukuhlubuka kwe-Edeni akhenge kuvimbele umnqopho wekuthomeni kaZimu ngabantu nephasi. Ithando lakaZimu elipheleleko nokuba kwakhe nobulungiswa kwamenza wafuna ukusitjhaphulula esonweni esasizuzako nekufeni. Umpostoli uPowula wathi: “Ngombana umrholo wesono kukufa, kodwana isipho uZimu asinikelako kuphila okungapheliko ngoKrestu Jesu iKosethu.” (Roma 6:23) Ngethando, uZimu “wanikela ngeNdodanakhe [uJesu Krestu] ebelethwe yodwa, bonyana woke umuntu otjengisa ukukholwa kiyo angabhujiswa kodwana abe nokuphila okungapheliko.” (Jwanisi 3:16) Ngokuzinikela bona abe mhlatjelo, uJesu wavuselela koke ebekulahleke ngo-Adamu. *

Esikhathini esingaphelisi ihliziyo, uZimu usithembisa iphasi elitjha eliyipharadesi, begodu lizokufika nanyana kunjani. Ithembelihleli nawe ungalithabela nawungalalela amezwi kaJesu athi: “Ngenani ngesango elincani, ngombana ivulekile begodu ibanzi indlela etjhinga ekubhujisweni, banengi nabakhamba kiyo; kodwana lincani isango elitjhinga ekuphileni nendlela yakhona iminyene, bambalwa abayifumanako.” (Matewu 7:13, 14) Kuliqiniso ingomusweli ungalithabela kuye ngeenqunto ozithathako. Alo uzokwenza njani?