ABANTU abaningi babheka uZiqu-zintathu “njengemfundiso ewumgogodla wenkolo yobuKristu.” Ngokwale mfundiso, uBaba, iNdodana nomoya ongcwele bangabantu abathathu kuNkulunkulu oyedwa. Ekhuluma ngoZiqu-zintathu, uKhadinal’ uJohn O’Connor wathi: “Siyazi ukuthi uyimfihlakalo ejulile, esingasoze sayiqonda.” Kungani kunzima kangaka ukuqonda uZiqu-zintathu?

I-Illustrated Bible Dictionary inikeza isizathu esisodwa. Ikhuluma ngoZiqu-zintathu, le ncwadi iyavuma: “Akayona imfundiso yeBhayibheli ngomqondo wokuthi akukho ncazelo yakhe etholakala eBhayibhelini.” Ngenxa yokuthi uZiqu-zintathu “akayona imfundiso yeBhayibheli,” abakholelwa kule mfundiso baye baba magange befuna imibhalo yeBhayibheli—baze bayisonta—ukuze basekele imfundiso yabo.

Isibonelo sevesi leBhayibheli elivame ukuqondwa ngokungeyikho uJohane 1:1. Kuyi-King James Version, leli vesi lifundeka kanje: “Ekuqaleni kwakukhona uLizwi, futhi uLizwi wayenoNkulunkulu [ngesiGreki, ton the·on′], futhi uLizwi wayenguNkulunkulu [the·os′].” Leli vesi liqukethe izinhlobo ezimbili zebizo lesiGreki elithi the·os′ (unkulunkulu). Elokuqala landulelwa elithi ton (u-the ngesiNgisi), uhlobo lomunci ocacile wesiGreki, futhi kulesi simo igama elithi the·on′ lisho uNkulunkulu uMninimandla onke. Kodwa, egameni lesibili, elithi the·os′ alinawo umunci ocacile. Ingabe lo munci washiywa ngephutha?

IVangeli likaJohane lalotshwa ngesiKoine, noma isiGreki esivamile, esinemithetho ethile mayelana nokusetshenziswa komunci ocacile. Isazi seBhayibheli u-A. T. Robertson saphawula  ukuthi uma kokubili umenzi nesilandiso kunomunci, “kokubili kucacile, kungabhekwa njengokufanayo, kuyinto eyodwa futhi kungashintshaniswa.” URobertson uthi uMathewu 13:38 uyisibonelo salokho; ufundeka kanje: “Insimu [ngesiGreki, ho a·gros′] yizwe [ngesiGreki, ho ko′smos].” Uhlelo lolimi lusisiza ukuba siqonde ukuthi izwe liseyiyo insimu.

Kodwa kuthiwani uma umenzi enomunci ocacile kodwa isilandiso singenawo, njengakuJohane 1:1? Sicaphuna lelo vesi njengesibonelo, isazi uJames Allen Hewett siyagcizelela: “Emushweni onjalo umenzi nesilandiso akuyona into efanayo, akulingani, akufani nganoma iyiphi indlela.”

Ngokwesibonelo, uHewett usebenzisa eyoku-1 Johane 1:5, ethi: “UNkulunkulu ungukukhanya.” NgesiGreki, elithi “uNkulunkulu” liyigama elithi ho the·os′ futhi ngenxa yalokho linomunci ocacile. Kodwa elithi phos elisho “ukukhanya” alandulelwa umunci othile. UHewett uthi: “Umuntu . . . angasho njalo ukuthi uNkulunkulu waziwa ngokukhanya; kodwa umuntu akanakusho ukuthi ukukhanya kunguNkulunkulu ngaso sonke isikhathi.” Kunezibonelo ezifanayo kuJohane 4:24, othi “uNkulunkulu unguMoya,” nakweyoku-1 Johane 4:16, ethi “uNkulunkulu uluthando.” Kuwo womabili la mavesi, umenzi unomunci ocacile kodwa isilandiso, “uMoya” kanye “nothando,” asinawo lowo munci. Ngakho umenzi nezilandiso akunakushintshaniswa. La mavesi awanakusho ukuthi “uMoya unguNkulunkulu” noma ukuthi “uthando lunguNkulunkulu.”

Izazi eziningi zesiGreki nabahumushi beBhayibheli bayavuma ukuthi uJohane 1:1 akaqokomisi ukuthi “uLizwi” ungubani kodwa imfanelo yakhe. Umhumushi weBhayibheli uWilliam Barclay uthi: “Ngenxa yokuthi [umphostoli uJohane] akanawo umunci ocacile owandulela elithi theos, liba incazelo . . . Lapha, uJohane akahlobanisi uLizwi noNkulunkulu. Ngamanye amazwi, akasho ukuthi uJesu wayenguNkulunkulu.” Isazi uJason David BeDuhn naso sithi: “NgesiGreki, uma ungawufaki umunci kwelithi theos emshweni onjengoJohane 1:1c, khona-ke abafundi bakho bangaphetha ngokuthi usho ‘unkulunkulu.’ . . . Ukungabi khona kwawo kwenza elithi theos lihluke ngokuphelele kwelithi ho theos elinomunci, njengoba nje elithi ‘unkulunkulu’ lihlukile kwelithi ‘uNkulunkulu’ esiNgisini.” UBeDuhn uyanezela: “KuJohane 1:1, uLizwi akayena uNkulunkulu owukuphela kwakhe, kodwa ungunkulunkulu, noma umuntu waphezulu.” Noma uma sikubeka ngamazwi kaJoseph Henry Thayer, isazi esahumusha i-American Standard Version: “ULogos [noma, uLizwi] wayengowaphezulu, hhayi oPhezukonke uqobo.”

Ingabe ukuthi uNkulunkulu ungubani kufanele kube “imfihlakalo ejulile”? Akubonakali kunjalo ngokwamazwi kaJesu. Lapho ethandaza kuYise, uJesu wawucacisa umahluko okhona phakathi kwakhe noYise lapho ethi: “Lokhu kusho ukuphila okuphakade, ukungenisa kwabo ulwazi ngawe, owukuphela kukaNkulunkulu weqiniso, nangalowo omthumileyo, uJesu Kristu.” (Johane 17:3) Uma simkholelwa uJesu futhi siyiqonda le mfundiso ecacile yeBhayibheli, sizomhlonipha njengeNdodana kaNkulunkulu yaphezulu. Futhi siyokhulekela uJehova ‘njengowukuphela kukaNkulunkulu weqiniso.’