Ithemba Liyomeleza

ITHEMBA lokwenene, ekuthethwa ngalo eBhayibhileni, lingaphezu komnqweno nje, osenokungabi nasiseko okanye osenokungazaliseki. Kwakhona likwabhetele kunokuba nolindelo nje, kuba into elindelweyo ayisoloko inqweneleka.

IBhayibhile ibonisa ukuba abantu ngokubanzi ehlabathini abanathemba lokwenene, nelinesiseko esiqinileyo; abantu bayafa, yaye ngenxa yokungazi ngelungiselelo elivela kumthombo ophakamileyo abanathemba ngekamva. USolomon wachaza ukuba lilize kwemeko yomntu xa uThixo engangeneleli ‘njengamampunge awo amampunge!’—INtshumayeli 12:8.

Oko kuthethwa ngabo bangenathemba kuThixo nakwisithembiso sakhe sokuvuswa kwabafileyo kufana namazwi awathethwa ngabemi baseYerusalem abangathobeliyo, abathi kunokuba babonakalise inguquko nokuba buhlungu xa babeza kufumana isigwebo esivela kuThixo sokutshatyalaliswa kwesixeko sabo, basuka bazinikela ekuthandeni iziyolo. Bathi: “Masidle sisele, kuba ngomso siya kufa.” (Isaya 22:13) Umpostile uPawulos ulumkisa nxamnye nokuphenjelelwa sisimo sengqondo sabo bangenathemba.—1 Korinte 15:32, 33.

UPawulos wayengathi abantu behlabathi abanamathemba asengqiqweni abajonge kuwo, amanye awo ancomekayo. Kunoko, wayebonisa ukuba, ngaphandle kukaThixo, amathemba kabani akayi kuba nanzuzo; eneneni, ekuhambeni kwexesha alilize.

Umthombo Wethemba

UYehova uThixo unguMthombo wethemba lokwenene naLowo ukwaziyo ukuzalisekisa zonke izithembiso zakhe kwabo bathembele kuye. Ngobubele bakhe obungasifanelanga uye wanika abantu “intuthuzelo . . . nethemba elilungileyo.” (2 Tesalonika 2:16) IZibhalo zesiHebhere zinamazwi amaninzi asenza sibe nethemba, sikholose size sibe nentembelo kuYehova. Ebonakalisa ububele bakhe bothando kubantu bakhe, kwanaxa babesiya ekuthinjweni ngenxa yokungamthobeli, wathi kubo: “Mna ndizazi kakuhle iingcamango endizicingayo ngani, . . . iingcamango zoxolo, kungekhona ezentlekele, ukuba ndininike ikamva nethemba.”—Yeremiya 29:11.

Isithembiso sikaYehova senza amaSirayeli athembekileyo ahlala enokholo nethemba ebudeni bokuthinjwa kwawo eBhabhiloni; sawomeleza gqitha amadoda anjengoHezekile noDaniyeli, kuba uYehova wayethe: “Kukho ithemba ngekamva lakho, . . . yaye ngokuqinisekileyo oonyana baya kubuyela kummandla wabo.” (Yeremiya 31:17) Elo themba lazaliseka xa intsalela yamaYuda athembekileyo yabuya ngowama-537 B.C.E. ukuze iphinde yakhe iYerusalem netempile yayo.—Ezra 1:1-6.

Ukuba nethemba komkhonzi kaThixo lokuba uya kufumana umvuzo asikokuzingca. Ukuze ubani amjonge aze amqonde ngendlela efanelekileyo uThixo, umele azi ukuba ububele bothando nesisa zimpawu zikaThixo ezibalaseleyo; ubani ufanele akholelwe kungekhona kuphela ukuba uThixo ukho kodwa nokuba “ungumvuzi wabo bamfuna ngenyameko.”—Hebhere 11:6.

Ithemba Lakha Ukholo

Kwakhona ithemba lakha ukholo; lisisiseko sokuba nokholo. (Hebhere 11:1) Ngokufanayo, ukholo lubangela ukuba ithemba liqaqambe lize lomelele ngakumbi. Ukuze omeleze amaKristu, umpostile uPawulos ucaphula umzekelo omhle ka-Abraham.

Xa uAbraham nomfazi wakhe uSara, ngokwembono yomntu, kwakungasekho themba lokuba bangafumana abantwana, kuthiwa: “Nangona lalingekho ithemba, kodwa ngokusekelwe ethembeni waba nokholo, ukuze abe nguyise weentlanga ezininzi ngokuvumelana noko kwakutshiwo kwathiwa: ‘Iya kuba njalo imbewu yakho.’” UAbraham wayesazi ukuba ngokuphathelele ukuba nabantwana, umzimba wakhe nokaSara ‘wawufile.’ Kodwa ukholo lwakhe aluzange lube buthathaka. Ngoba? “Ngenxa yesithembiso sikaThixo akazange axengaxengiswe kukuswela ukholo, kodwa waba namandla ngalo ukholo lwakhe.”—Roma 4:18-20.

Wandula ke lo mpostile esebenzisa umzekelo ka-Abraham wokholo nethemba kumaKristu, aqukumbele athi: “Masigcobe, ngokusekelwe kwithemba lozuko lukaThixo . . . kwaye ithemba alidanisi; ngenxa yokuba uthando lukaThixo luye lwathululelwa ezintliziyweni zethu ngomoya oyingcwele esawunikwayo.”—Roma 5:2, 5.

Ithemba AmaKristu Analo

Ithemba amaKristu, eneneni, abantu bonke abanalo lisekelwe kuYesu Kristu. Akukho mntu wayenethuba lokufumana ubomi obungunaphakade ezulwini okanye emhlabeni de uKristu Yesu “wabukhanyisa ubomi nokungonakali ngeendaba ezilungileyo.”—2 Timoti 1:10.

Ithemba lobomi obungunaphakade nokungonakali kwabo “banesabelo kubizo lwasezulwini” linesiseko esiqinileyo yaye yinto ekunokuthenjelwa kuyo ngokuqinisekileyo. (Hebhere 3:1) Lixhaswa zizinto ezimbini ekungenakwenzeka ukuba uThixo axoke ngazo, ezo zinto, lithemba nesifungo sakhe, yaye elo themba lisekelwe kuKristu, ngoku ophila ezulwini ngonaphakade. Ngoko ke eli themba kuthiwa ‘yiankile yomphefumlo, liqinisekile yaye liqinile, lide lifikelele ngaphaya kwekhuselo [njengoko umbingeleli omkhulu wangena kweYona Ngcwele Ngomhla Wocamagusho], apho umanduleli uYesu wangena khona ngenxa yethu, waza waba ngumbingeleli omkhulu ngokohlobo lukaMelkitsedeki ngonaphakade.’—Hebhere 6:17-20.

Iinzuzo Zokuhlala Unethemba

IBhayibhile isoloko ibethelela imfuneko yokuba amaKristu abambelele “thembeni linye.” (Efese 4:4) Oku kufuna ukuba ubani aqhubeke ekhuthele, athethe ngokukhululekileyo aze “aqhayise” ngeli themba.—Hebhere 3:6; 6:11.

Ithemba lakhiwa kukunyamezela imbandezelo; oku kukhokelela ekubeni ngofanelekileyo kuThixo, elivela kuye eli themba. (Roma 5:2-5) Ithemba lihambisana nokholo nothando njengolunye lweempawu ezintathu elibonakala ngazo ibandla lamaKristu ukususela ekupheleni kwezipho ezingummangaliso zomoya ezazikho kwibandla lenkulungwane yokuqala.—1 Korinte 13:13.

Ithemba liyimfuneko kumaKristu. Lihambisana novuyo, uxolo namandla omoya oyingcwele. (Roma 15:13) Libangela ubani athethe ngokukhululeka acele kuThixo ububele bakhe obungasifanelanga nenceba. (2 Korinte 3:12) Lenza amaKristu anyamezele ngovuyo, enoba zinjani na iimeko. (Roma 12:12) Njengesigcina-ntloko esikhusele umphumi-mkhosi, ngoko ke ithemba losindiso likhusela amandla engqondo, libangela umKristu agcine ingqibelelo.—1 Tesalonika 5:8.

Ithemba linceda umKristu ahlale ephila ubomi obucocekileyo, kuba uyazi ukuba uThixo noKristu, athembele kubo, banyulu yaye akanakuba nethemba lokufana noThixo nokufumana umvuzo ukuba wenza izinto ezingcolileyo nezingalunganga. (1 Yohane 3:2, 3) Ithemba linxulunyaniswa ngokusondeleyo nophawu olubalaseleyo, uthando, kuba lowo unothando olunyanisekileyo lukaThixo kwakhona uya kuba nethemba kuzo zonke izithembiso zikaThixo. Yaye ukongezelela, uya kubanqwenelela okuhle abazalwana bakhe abanokholo, abathande aze akuthembe ukunyaniseka kweentliziyo zabo kuKristu.—1 Korinte 13:4, 7; 1 Tesalonika 2:19.