Umbono WeBhayibheli

Ingabe Kufanele Sisole USathane Ngezono Zethu?

KWASOLWA uSathane ngesono somuntu wokuqala. “Inyoka ingikhohlisile, ngadla,” kusho u-Eva. (Genesise 3:13) Kusukela lapho ‘inyoka yokuqala, okuthiwa uDeveli noSathane’ iye yaqhubeka ihlasela isintu, ‘iphuphuthekisa izingqondo’ zabantu futhi ‘idukisa umhlaba wonke owakhiwe.’ (IsAmbulo 12:9; 2 Korinte 4:4) Akekho umuntu ongabalekela ukucindezela kwakhe, kodwa ingabe lokho kusho ukuthi asinakukwazi ukumelana nethonya lakhe? Futhi lapho sona, ingabe kuhlale kunguye okubangelayo?

IBhayibheli liyachaza ukuthi ngempela uSathane wamkhohlisa u-Eva. (1 Thimothewu 2:14) Wakhohliswa ukuba acabange ukuthi ngokwephula umyalo kaNkulunkulu, wayengathola ukuqonda okufana nokukaNkulunkulu nokuzimela. (Genesise 3:4, 5) Ecabanga lokho, wona. Noma kunjalo, uNkulunkulu wafuna ukuba alandise futhi wamgwebela ukufa. Ngani? Ngoba nakuba uSathane aqamba amanga, u-Eva wayewazi kahle umyalo kaNkulunkulu. Akazange aphoqwe ukuba angalaleli; kunalokho, uyena owayelawula izenzo zakhe, ekwazi kahle ukumelana nethonya likaSathane.

Melana NoDeveli

Kungenzeka ngathi thina bantu ukuba simelane noDeveli. Kweyabase-Efesu 6:12, sitshelwa ukuthi ‘sibambene nendikimba yomoya ababi esezindaweni zasezulwini.’ Khona-ke, kusobala ukuthi uNkulunkulu ulindele ukuba silwe nethonya likaSathane. Kodwa umuntu angakwazi kanjani ukumelana namandla kaSathane namademoni akhe angaphezu kwakhe? Ingabe kuthiwa asilwe impi engaphezu kwamandla ethu, esingeke sayinqoba nakanjani? Cha, ngoba uNkulunkulu akasho ukuthi asilwe noDeveli ngamandla ethu. UJehova usinikeza izindlela ezihlukahlukene zokumelana nokuyenga kukaDeveli futhi sinqobe. IBhayibheli lisitshela ukuthi uDeveli ungubani, usebenza kanjani nokuthi singazivikela kanjani.—Johane 8:44; 2 Korinte 2:11; 11:14.

Indlela ‘Yokumelana NoDeveli’

ImiBhalo itusa izinyathelo ezimbili zokumelana noDeveli. Siyayalwa: “Ngakho-ke, zithobeni kuNkulunkulu; kodwa melanani noDeveli futhi uyonibalekela.” (Jakobe 4:7) Isinyathelo sokuqala sokuzithoba kuNkulunkulu sihilela ukulalela imiyalo yakhe. Ukuhlala siqaphela ukuthi uNkulunkulu ukhona, siqaphela ubuhle bakhe, amandla akhe amangalisayo negunya kanye nezimiso zakhe eziphakeme kuyosenza sibe namandla okumelana noSathane. Ukuthandaza kuNkulunkulu ngokuphikelelayo nakho kubalulekile.—Efesu 6:18.

Cabanga ngesikhathi lapho uJesu elingwa uDeveli. Ukukhumbula nokucaphuna imiyalo kaNkulunkulu ehlukahlukene kwamsiza ngempela uJesu ukuba akwazi ukumelana naye. Ehluleka ukuyengela uJesu esonweni, uSathane wamshiya. Ngemva kwalolo vivinyo olunzima, uJehova, wamqinisa kakhulu uJesu esebenzisa izingelosi zakhe. (Mathewu 4:1-11) Ngakho-ke, uJesu wayengabakhuthaza ngokuqiniseka abafundi bakhe ukuba bacele uNkulunkulu ‘abakhulule komubi.’—Mathewu 6:13.

Ukusikhulula kukaNkulunkulu akusho ukuthi usizungeza ngehawu lokusivikela. Kunalokho, usitshela ukuba siphishekele izimfanelo zokuhlonipha uNkulunkulu, njengeqiniso, ukulunga, ukuthula nokholo. Lezi zimfanelo zisebenza ‘njengesambatho sokuzivikela,’ esisenza sikwazi ‘ukuma siqinile ekumelaneni namaqhinga kaDeveli.’ (Efesu 6:11, 13-18) Ngakho singakwazi ukubhuntshisa izilingo zikaDeveli ngosizo lukaNkulunkulu.

Isinyathelo sesibili esituswa kuJakobe 4:7 ‘siwukumelana noDeveli.’ Lokhu kuhilela isenzo sokuzimisela, ukubalekela ithonya lakhe elilimazayo. Umuntu kumelwe agweme ukuzichaya ethonyeni lakhe elikhohlisayo futhi enqabe amafilosofi akhuthaza ukuthanda izinto ezibonakalayo nokuziphatha okubi ande kakhulu ezweni namuhla. Ukumelana noDeveli ngaleyo ndlela kanye nokuphila okunikezelwe ekujabuliseni uNkulunkulu kubalulekile ekulweni kwethu noSathane. Kodwa ingabe zonke izono zibangwa ithonya likaDeveli ngokuqondile?

Ukulwa Kwethu Ngaphakathi

Umlobi weBhayibheli uJakobe uyachaza: “Yilowo nalowo ulingwa ngokuhehwa nangokuhungwa isifiso sakhe siqu. Khona-ke isifiso, lapho sesivundile, sizala isono.” (Jakobe 1:14, 15) Ngeshwa, asinakubunqoba ngokuphelele ubuthakathaka nokungapheleli esakuzuza njengefa. (Roma 5:12) IBhayibheli lithi: “Akukho-muntu emhlabeni olungileyo kangaka ukuba enze okuhle, angoni.”—UmShumayeli 7:20.

Lokhu akusho ukuthi zonke izono asinakukwazi nhlobo ukuzilawula. Ngezinye izikhathi, ngenxa yokukhetha kwethu okungalungile, sizilethela izilingo. Ngakho-ke nakuba isifiso esingalungile kungenzeka sibangelwe ukungapheleli kwethu noma ithonya likaSathane, ukuthi siyasikhulisa noma siyasenqaba yini kuxhomeke kithi ngokuphelele. Umphostoli uPawulu wabhala ngokufanele: “Noma yini umuntu ayihlwanyelayo, uyovuna yona futhi.”—Galathiya 6:7.

Yamukela Umthwalo Wemfanelo

Ngokuvamile kunzima ngabantu ukuba bavume ubuthakathaka, ukwahluleka namaphutha abo—yebo, izono. (IHubo 36:2) Into engasisiza ukuba sivume izono zethu ukwazi ukuthi uNkulunkulu akalindele ukuba siphelele manje. “Akasiphathi njengokufanele izono zethu, akasivuzi njengokwamacala ethu,” kusho umhubi uDavide. (IHubo 103:10) Nakuba uNkulunkulu ethethelela, usalindele ukuba silwe kanzima, ukuba sizithibe ukuze sigweme ukuyenga kukaDeveli nokuthambekela kwethu esonweni.—1 Korinte 9:27.

Kumelwe siqonde ukuthi nakuba uNkulunkulu eqaphela ukuthi uDeveli angazichezukisa izenzo zethu nokuthi unecala elikhulu ngesimo sesintu sokuba nesono, lokhu akusikhululi emthwalweni wokulandisa esinawo. Ngakho, eyabaseRoma 14:12 ithi: “Ngamunye wethu uyozilandisela kuNkulunkulu.”

Nokho, uma ‘sikwenyanya okubi, sibambelela kokuhle,’ singakunqoba okubi. (Roma 12:9, 21) Owesifazane wokuqala, u-Eva, wahluleka ukwenza lokho futhi wajeziswa ngenxa yokungalaleli; wayengamelana nokubi futhi alalele uNkulunkulu. (Genesise 3:16) Nokho, uNkulunkulu akazange ayishalazele indima eyafezwa uDeveli ekumkhohliseni. UDeveli waqalekiswa futhi wathola isigwebo sokuqothulwa esikhathini esizayo. (Genesise 3:14, 15; Roma 16:20; Heberu 2:14) Maduze nje ngeke kusadingeka ukuba silwe nethonya lakhe elibi.—IsAmbulo 20:1-3, 10.

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 26]

Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY