Uthixo ‘WeTestamente Endala’—Ngaba NguThixo Wothando?

“UTHIXO weTestamente Endala, ekuthiwa nguYahweh wobuYuda, unguthixo wesiqalekiso, uthixo wengqumbo, uthixo wekhwele, yaye andinakuziva ndisondele kuye.” Utsho njalo uYouji Inoue, umfundisi wamaKatolika waseJapan, kwinqaku elinomxholo othi “Japanese and Christianity” kwelinye lamaphephandaba aphambili aseJapan, iAsahi Shimbun. Uhlabela mgama esithi, kodwa lo Thixo ekugqibeleni “wakhula waza waguqukela koko kunguThixo weTestamente Entsha, oko kukuthi, uThixo lowo uYesu wafundisa ngaye.”

Ngokuqinisekileyo, umfundisi ulnoue asinguye yedwa onembono enjalo. Kodwa ngaba uyavumelana naye? Ngaba ukwavakaleIwa kukuba uThixo ‘weTestamente Endala,’ okanye iZibhalo zesiHebhere, unguThixo orhabaxa nonempindezelo xa ethelekiswa noThixo ‘weTestamente Entsha,’ okanye iZibhalo zamaKristu zesiGrike?

Ubuntu babantu bunokuguquka. Ngokomzekelo, iBhayibhile ibongoza abo bathanda uThixo ukuba ‘bambathe umntu omtsha, othe ngokukaThixo wadalelwa ebulungiseni, nasebungcweleni benyaniso.’ (Efese 4:24) Ngokufundisisa iBhayibhile baze basebenzise oko bakufundileyo, uninzi olwalukade lufukama ikhwele, ingqumbo, njalo njalo, lwenze iinguqulelo ezinkulu, kangangokuba ngoku lubonakalisa kubomi balo bemihla ngemihla iziqhamo zomoya kaThixo—“uthando, uvuyo, uxolo, ukuzeka kade umsindo, ububele, ukulunga, intembeko, ubulali, ukuzeyisa.”—Galati 5:22, 23.

Kodwa ngaba kunokuthethwa into efanayo ngoMdali, uYehova uThixo? Ngaba “wakhula waza waguquka” ukusuka “kuthixo wengqumbo” waba nguThixo wothando wamaKristu, njengoko abanye bebeya kumbiza njalo?

UYehova—Usoloko EnguThixo Wothando

“UThixo uluthando,” wabhala oko umpostile uYohane. (1 Yohane 4:8) Apho wachaza inyaniso ehlala ihleli: UMdali, uYehova, ebenguThixo wothando olungaguqukiyo yaye unguye ibe uya kuhlala enjalo. Yaye ukusuka ekuqaleni ukusa ekugqibeleni, ingxelo yeBhayibhile iyawaxhasa loo mazwi.

Xa uYehova wadala umhlaba, ngokunothando wawenza walikhaya elifanele uluntu. (Isaya 45:18) Kamva, xa wadala indoda nomfazi bokuqala, uAdam noEva, wabenza “ngokomfanekiselo wakhe,” oko kukuthi, wabajizeka ngeempawu zokuhlonel’ uThixo ezinjengothando, okusesikweni, ubulumko namandla. Kwakhona wabeka phambi kwabo ithemba lokuba nabantwana, lokujika wonke lo mhlaba ube yiParadisi, baze bahlale kuwo ngonaphakade. (Genesis 1:27, 28) Ngaba konke oku yayingebobungqina bukaThixo wothando?

Xa isibini sokuqala esingabantu sawela ekulingweni nguSathana ngokusetyenziswa kwenyoka, saphulukana neentsikelelo zikanaphakade kungekhona nje sona sodwa kodwa kwanenzala yaso eyayingekazalwa. Kweli xesha lamanqam, uYehova wavakalisa isiprofeto sokuqala esibhalwe eBhayibhileni, esithi, ‘imbewu yomfazi’ ethenjisiweyo yayiya kutyumza intloko yenyoka. (Genesis 3:15) Ngaba eli dinga lethemba nenkululeko lalingeyiyo enye imbonakaliso ebalaseleyo yothando lukaThixo?

Malunga nama-2 000 eminyaka kamva, uYehova wathembisa umkhonzi wakhe othembekileyo uAbraham esithi: “Zisikelelwe ngembewu yakho zonke iintlanga zehlabathi,” ngaloo ndlela etyhila ukuba ‘imbewu yomfazi’ yayiya kuza ngomnombo wentsapho ka-Abraham. (Genesis 22:18) Eli dinga laqinisa ithemba lenkululeko laza labonisa ukuba uthando lukaYehova ngoluntu lwalunganciphanga ngenxa yokudlula kwexesha. Engqondweni wayenekamva elisikelelekileyo ngoluntu ekwenzeni eli dinga. Ngokuqinisekileyo unguThixo wothando!

Uthando LukaThixo KuSirayeli

Ngokubhekele phaya, uYehova uThixo wawakhulula amaSirayeli ebukhobokeni baseYiputa ngowe-1513 B.C.E. waza wenza umnqophiso woMthetho kunye nawo ngoMoses. Kowesibini kwiMithetho Elishumi, uYehova wathi: “Kuba mna, Yehova Thixo wakho, ndinguThixo onekhwele, [uThixo ofuna uzinikelo olupheleleyo, (New World Translation)] ndibuvelela ubugwenxa booyise koonyana, kwesesithathu nakwesesine isizukulwana sabandithiyileyo; ndiwenzela inceba amawaka abandithandayo, abayigcinayo imithetho yam.”—Eksodus 20:5, 6.

NjengoMongami nomnini ongumyeni, uYehova wayenegunya lokufuna uzinikelo olupheleleyo kubantu bakhe bomnqophiso, uSirayeli. (Isaya 54:5; Yeremiya 3:14) Xa abantu bakhe baba ngabangathembekanga baza baphethukela koothixo bobuxoki ngokufuthi, ngaba kwakungekho ngqiqweni ukuba uYehova, ngenxa yokubathanda kwakhe, abaqeqeshe, abonise ukungakholwa kwakhe koko nokuhlaba ikhondo labo elichasekileyo?

Kwizihlandlo ezininzi, uYehova wabonakalisa inkxalabo enzulu ngabantu bakhe waza wabacela ukuba babuyele kuye. (Isaya 55:7) Nangona wabohlwayela izono zabo, ekugqibeleni eyekela uhlanga lwabo ukuba lutshatyalaliswe luze luthinjelwe kwilizwe lasemzini, ngexesha elifanelekileyo wababuyisela kwilizwe labo lokuzalwa. Yintoni eboniswa kuko konke oku ngoYehova? Ngaba unguThixo onekhwele, onentiyo nonempindezelo? Hayi! Kunoko, kubonisa ukuba ‘unguThixo onemfesane, onobabalo, ozeka kade umsindo, omninzi ngenceba nenyaniso.’—Eksodus 34:6; Nehemiya 9:17; Yoweli 2:13; Nahum 1:2, 3.

Uthando Olwabonakaliswa NgoNyana Wakhe

Ukutyhubela iinkulungwane, uYehova uThixo wanikela iinkcukacha ezibhekele phaya ‘ngembewu yomfazi’ ‘nembewu ka-Abraham,’ waza ngabaprofeti Bakhe Waxela kwangapambili ngokuza kukaMesiya. Xa ixesha elamiselwayo lathi lafika, uThixo wabonakalisa uthando lwakhe ngendlela engazange ibonwe—ngokuthumela okuphela kwamzeleyo uNyana emhlabeni ukunikela idini lentlawulelo.

Ethetha ngeli lungiselelo limangalisayo, umpostile uYohane wabhala oku: “Wenjenje uThixo ukulithanda kwakhe ihlabathi, ude wancama uNyana wakhe okuphela kwamzeleyo, ukuze bonke abakholwayo kuye bangatshabalali, koko babe nobomi obungunaphakade.” (Yohane 3:16) Ngenxa yokuba uthando lukaThixo ngoNyana wakhe, uYesu Kristu lulukhulu kangako bambi ngempazamo baye bagqiba ukuba Akanakuba nguloo Thixo mnye njengalowo kuthetwa ngaye kwiZibhalo zesiHebhere engozisa isohlwayo nomgwebo.

Kodwa ngaba uThixo owafundiswa nguYesu wahluke gqitha kuThixo ocbazwe kwiZibhalo zesiHebhere? Okanye ngaba abantu basuke bakhetha ukubona nje oko bafuna ukukubona? Ngaba eso sibhalo saziwa kakuhle, uYohane 3:16 asibonisi ngokucacileyo okokuba ukuba ubani ‘ongakholwayo’ kuye uNyana lowo ‘uya kutshabalala’? Ngokungakumbi, uYohane wahlabela mgama wathi: “Ke lowo ungamviyo uNyana, akayi kubona bomi, ingqumbo kaThixo ihleli phezu kwakhe.” (Yohane 3:36) Ukuba oku akulunciphisi nangayiphi na indlela uthando lukaThixo olukhulu, ngoko kutheni le nto amazwi akhe avakalisa ukungakholiswa kwakhe ngamaSirayeli angatbembekanga nabanye kwiZibhalo zesiHebhere emenza uThixo ongenaluthando?

Injongo KaThixo Enothando Ngawe

Ngomprofeti wakhe uMalaki, uThixo wathi: “Mna, Yehova, andiguquguquki.” (Malaki 3:6) Akahlalanga nje engaguqukanga njengoThixo wothando kodwa injongo yakhe enothando ngoluntu nomhlaba ikwahleli ingaguqukanga. Njengoko uYehova wabeka phambi kuka-Adam noEva ithemba lobomi obungunaphakade kwiparadisi yasemhlabeni, ngoko lo Thixo wothando ufuna ukuba ube phakathi kwabo abaya kuthi ngonaphakade bahlale bechwayitile kuloo Paradisi. (Luka 23:43, NW; 2 Petros 3:13; ISityhilelo 21:4) Kodwa yintoni efunekayo? UYesu wathi: “Bubo ke obu ubomi obungunaphakade, ukuba mabakwazi, wena ukuphela koThixo oyinyaniso, naye uYesu Kristu omthumileyo.” (Yohane 17:3) AmaNgqina kaYehova aya kukuvuyela ukukunceda ufunde ngoYehova, uThixo wothando olungaguqukiyo.