Ukuqondisisa Izindaba

Umbono Wovuko Ushintshile

Izazi zamaProthestani nezamaRoma Katolika manje ziyavuma ngokwesisekelo ukuthi ‘umqondo womphefumulo ongenakufa akuwona ongokweBhayibheli, kodwa umqondo wobuGreki owangena ngokunyelela emqondweni wobuKristu ngephutha,’ ngokukaprofesa weTestamente Elisha uGene Wehrli we-Eden Seminary eMissouri. Umbiko ku“St. Louis Post-Dispatch” uphawula ukuthi uWehrli uyavuma futhi ukuthi ‘umbono wobuKristu wokuphila ngemva kokufa awusekelwe enkolelweni yomphefumulo ongafi kodwa emzimbeni oguqulwa isimo ngovuko.’ Wachaza: “Ukuqonda kobuGreki kuwukuthi abantu ngokwemvelo abafi​—ukuthi banomphefumulo ovalelwe enyameni futhi obuyela kuNkulunkulu . . . Uvuko lweBhayibheli lugcizelela ukuthi ngenye ingqondo ukufa kuwukufa, kodwa ukuthi uNkulunkulu uvusa umuntu njengoba enjalo abuyele ekuphileni.” Ngakho-ke, ‘ukuphila ngemva kokufa’ kwachazwa njengento engekho kumuntu kodwa kunalokho, “isipho sikaNkulunkulu.”

Kuyathakazelisa ukuthi ezinye zezazi zanamuhla zisondela embonweni weBhayibheli. IZwi likaNkulunkulu ngokucacile liveza ithemba elimangalisayo lovuko ngalabo abaye bafa. Phawula isithembiso sikaJesu esiqinisa ukholo: “Mina ngingukuvuka nokuphila; okholwa yimi, noma efa, wophila.” Futhi wathi: “Ningamangali ngalokho, ngokuba isikhathi siyeza, lapho bonke abasemathuneni beyakulizwa izwi layo, abenze ukulunga baphumele ekuvukeni kokuphila, abenze okubi ekuvukeni kokulahlwa.”—Johane 11:25; 5:28, 29.

Ukuphila Nomthetho

“Ukuqaphela ukubulawa kombungu njengenye nje indlela yokuhlinza kuwukungakuqapheli ukuhlakanipha kwamakhulu eminyaka kwesayensi yobulelesi, eyenkolo neyokuphila.” Wabhala kanjalo uprofesa wezomthetho weYunivesithi yaseTulane uBillups Percy encwadini eyayiya ku“The New York Times” ngokuphathelene nesinqumo samuva nje seNkantolo Ephakeme yaseU.S. ngokukhishwa kwezisu.

Kunokuphikisa izinzuzo nokungezona izinzuzo zesinqumo, uprofesa usikisela ukuthi “inkantolo bekungamelwe izinqume nakanye.” Ngani? “Ngokucacile, impikiswano yokukhishwa kwezisu iyisibonelo esingokoqobo sesimo lapho okuwukuphela kwezindinganiso zokwahlulela ezikhona ziwukukhohlisa, ziqondiswe isimiso esingokomthetho esingafanelekile nje.” Njengesibonelo, uphawula ukuthi “iNkantolo ngobuciko ibala ubukhulu bombungu ngokwehlukanisa isikhathi sawo esibelethweni sibe cishe izikhathi ezintathu ezilinganayo. Khona-ke . . . inquma ukuthi kuphela kuphakathi nesikhathi sesithathu sokugcina lapho unina angabekelwa imingcele ngokuphathelene nombungu.”

Ngempela, noma iziphi “izindinganiso zokwahlulela” ezibekwa ngabantu ebungcweleni bokuphila zingase ‘zikhohlise’ ngoba ukuphila akuveli kumuntu kodwa kuNkulunkulu. “Ngokuba ukuwe [Nkulunkulu] umthombo wokuphila,” kusho umhubi kumaHubo 36:9. UNkulunkulu kuphela onelungelo elingokomthetho lokunquma indlela ukuphila, kuhlanganise nokwalowo ongakazalwa, okumelwe kuphathwe ngayo. Thina, zidalwa zakhe, sinecala kuye, uMenzi wethu.—IHubo 100:3.

Indlu Yenkolo Ehlukene

“Ukwehluka ngemibono [phakathi kwamalungu esonto] ezindinganisweni ezingokomthetho zesonto kuye kwacatshangelwa isikhathi eside, kodwa izibalo eziqoqwe muva nje ziyakufakazela,” kusho umlobi wenkolo weAssociated Press, uGeorge W. Cornell. Ngokwesibonelo, ukuhlola kwaseLuthela kwabonisa ukuthi lapho abaningi babefundisi bekholelwa ukuthi “umntwana unesono kwasekuzalweni,” angaphansi kwamabili kumalungu amathathu esonto ayavuma. Futhi, nakuba cishe ingxenye yamalungu esonto ikholelwa ukuthi ezinkolweni eziningi zezwe, “eziningi ziholela kuNkulunkulu,” bangaphansi kwamaphesenti ama-5 kubefundisi abahlolwa abavuma.

UCornell uqhubeka ekhomba njengesibonelo umfundisi waseBaptist uDale Moody njengophikisa ukugcizelela kwenkolo yakhe ekutheni “ukusindiswa kanye, ukusindiswa phakade,” imfundiso yokuthi umuntu owamukela uKristu akanakulahlekelwa udumo futhi unosindiso lwaphakade oluqinisekile. Lapho siphawula ngokuqhubekayo ngendlu ehlukene yenkolo, isazi esingumKatolika esaziwayo uMichael Novak saphawula: “Isizukulwane esisha sithola umfutho eSontweni lamaKatolika, sithukuthelela ngokwedlulele inkambiso yobuKatolika, futhi siyokwenza ukuba ithonya laso lithinte bonke abaseMelika.”

Yeka ukuthi kwehluke kangakanani ukunxusa kweBhayibheli okuhlanganisayo kumaKristu kweyoku-1 Korinte 1:10, “ukuba nikhulume-zwilinye nonke, kungabikho ukwahlukana phakathi kwenu, kodwa nipheleliswe emqondweni munye nasekuboneni kunye.”