Lo ngowona mbhalo waziwa nocatshulwa kakhulu kwiBhayibhile iphela. Kubonakala ukuba ayikho ivesi “ecacisa unxulumano lukaThixo nabantu nokusindiswa kwethu njengale.” Ngenxa yoko, kwamanye amazwe esi sibhalo sikaYohane 3:16 sidla ngokuxhonywa esidlangalaleni, ezimotweni, ezindongeni, nakwezinye iindawo.

Kubonakala ukuba, abo baxhoma esi sibhalo beyisekile ukuba uThixo uyabathanda yaye uza kubasindisa. Kuthekani ngawe? Luthetha ntoni kuwe uthando lukaThixo? Yaye ucinga ukuba wenze ntoni uThixo ukubonisa ukuba uyakuthanda?

Abantu abaninzi bayavuma ukuba nguThixo odale zonke izinto esizibonayo, kuquka nabantu. Izidalwa eziphilayo zenziwe ngokuchuliweyo kangangokuba xa uzijongile buyabonakala ubukrelekrele boMenzi wazo. Abantu abaninzi bayambulela uThixo mihla le ngesipho sobomi. Bayaqonda ukuba baxhomekeke kuThixo ngezinto ezibalulekiyo ebomini—njengomoya, amanzi, ukutya nokutshintsha kwamaxesha onyaka ukuze baqhubeke bephila baze bonwabe.

Senza kakuhle ngokumbulela uThixo ngazo zonke ezi zinto, kuba unguMenzi kunye noMlondolozi wethu. (INdumiso 104:10-28; 145:15, 16; IZenzo 4:24) Ukucinga ngazo zonke izinto asenzele zona uThixo ukuze siphile kusinceda siluxabise uthando lwakhe ngathi. Umpostile uPawulos  wathi: “[UThixo] ubanika bonke abantu ubomi nempefumlo nezinto zonke. Kuba ngaye sinobomi siyashukuma yaye sikho.”—IZenzo 17:25, 28.

Noko ke, uThixo akalubonisi uthando lwakhe ngokusinyamekela ngokwenyama nje kuphela. Usidale ngokukhethekileyo ukuze sikwazi ukuba ngabahlobo bakhe. (Mateyu 5:3) Ngenxa yoko, abantu abathobelayo banethemba lokuba yinxalenye yentsapho kaThixo, babe ‘ngabantwana’ bakhe.—Roma 8:19-21.

Njengokuba esitsho uYohane 3:16, uThixo wabonisa ukusithanda kwakhe ngokuthumela uNyana wakhe uYesu emhlabeni ukuze asifundise ngoThixo noBawo wakhe nokuze asifele. Noko ke, abantu abaninzi bayavuma ukuba abasiboni isizathu sokuba uYesu weza kusifela nokuba ukufa kwakhe kulubonisa njani uthando lukaThixo. Makhe sive xa iBhayibhile ichaza isizathu sokufa kukaYesu nendlela okubaluleke ngayo.

Ekubeni sonke singafezekanga—siyagula, saluphale size sife. Ibe leyo, yayingeyonjongo kaYehova uThixo. Wanika uAdam noEva ithuba lokuphila ngonaphakade kumhlaba oyiparadesi. Noko ke, kwakufuneka benze into enye kuphela: Kwakufuneka bamthobele. UThixo wathi babeya kufa ukuba babengakwenzi oko. (Genesis 2:17) UAdam wamvukela uThixo, ibe ngenxa yoko wazisela yena nenzala yakhe ukufa. Umpostile uPawulos ucacisa athi: “Njengokuba isono sangena ngamntu mnye ehlabathini nokufa ngaso isono, ngaloo ndlela ukufa kwasasazeka kubo bonke abantu ngenxa yokuba bonke bonayo.”—Roma 5:12.

Noko ke, uThixo ‘uthanda okusesikweni.’ (INdumiso 37:28) Nangona esazi ukuba uAdam wona ngabom, uThixo akafuni ukuba abantu baqhubeke behlupheka baze bafe ngenxa yokungathobeli komntu omnye. Uye wasebenzisa umgaqo othi “umphefumlo ngomphefumlo” ukuze enze ubulungisa nokuze abantu abathobelayo bafumane ubomi obungunaphakade kwakhona. (Eksodus 21:23) Umbuzo ngulo, Ukufezeka okwalahlwa nguAdam kwakunokufunyanwa njani kwakhona? Impendulo: Kwakufuneka umntu ofezekileyo njengoAdam oza kunikela ngobomi bakhe.

Kwakungekho namnye kubantwana abazalwa nguAdam owayenokukwazi ukulungisa le ngxaki, kodwa uYesu wayenokukwazi. (INdumiso 49:6-9) Ekubeni wazalwa engenasono, uYesu wayefezekile njengoAdam. Ngenxa yoko, ukunikela kukaYesu ngobomi bakhe kwasikhulula ekubeni ngamakhoboka esono. Ngokwenza oko, wanika bonke abantu ithuba lokuphila ubomi obufezekileyo njengokuba naye uAdam noEva babekhe babungcamla. (Roma 3:23, 24; 6:23) Kodwa ke, kufuneka senze ntoni ukuze singenelwe kwesi senzo sikhulu kangaka sothando?

Xa sibuyela kuYohane 3:16 siphawula amazwi athi, “ukuze wonk’ ubani obonisa ukholo [kuYesu] angatshabalali kodwa abe nobomi obungunaphakade.” Oku kutheth’ ukuba simele senze okuthile ukuze sifumane isipho ‘sobomi obungunaphakade.’ Simele sibonise ukholo kuYesu yaye simthobele.

Usenokuzibuza: ‘Kungena phi ukuthobela? Kanti uYesu ebengathanga na, “wonk’ ubani obonisa ukholo kuye” uya kufumana ubomi obungunaphakade?’ Ewe, ukholo lubalulekile. Kodwa akwanelanga ukukholelwa nje ukuba uYesu ukho. IVine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words ithi igama elisetyenziswe nguYohane xa ebhekisela kukholo lithetha ‘ukuthembela entweni, kungekhona ukuvuma nje ngomlomo.’ Ukuze umntu amkholise uThixo, akamele avume ngomlomo kuphela ukuba uYesu nguMsindisi. Umele azimisele ngokunyanisekileyo ukwenza oko uYesu wakufundisayo. Xa zingekho izenzo, ukholo lomntu lulilize. IBhayibhile ithi, ‘Ukholo ngaphandle kwemisebenzi lufile.’ (Yakobi 2:26) Ngamany’ amazwi, umntu umele alubonise ngezenzo ukholo lwakhe kuYesu—oko kukuthi, umele aphile ngokuvumelana nokholo lwakhe.

UPawulos ukucacisa ngale ndlela oku: “Uthando analo uKristu luyasinyanzela, ngenxa yokuba siye sagqiba kwelokuba, umntu omnye [uYesu] wabafela bonke; . . . yaye wafela bonke ukuze abo baphilayo bangabi saziphilela, kodwa baphilele yena lowo wabafelayo waza wavuswa.” (2 Korinte 5:14, 15) Ngenxa yombulelo onyanisekileyo esinawo ngedini likaYesu, sifanele siguqule indlela esiphila ngayo—siyeke ukuphilela ukwanelisa iziqu zethu, size siphilele uYesu owasifelayo. Oko kukuthi, eyona nto ibalulekileyo ebomini bethu imele ibe kukwenza oko uYesu wakufundisayo. Oko kumele kubonakale kwindlela esiziphethe ngayo, kukhetho lwethu, nakuyo yonke into esiyenzayo. Baza kufumana wuphi umvuzo abo babonisa ukholo kuYesu?

Inxalenye yokugqibela kaYohane 3:16 ichaza oko uThixo abathembisa kona abo babonisa ukholo kwidini likaYesu nabaphila ngokuvisisana nokuthanda kwakhe. UThixo uthembisa ukuba ‘abayi kutshabalala, kodwa baza kufumana ubomi obungunaphakade.’ Noko ke, uThixo uza kubavuza ngeendlela ezahlukeneyo abo bamthandayo.

Elinye iqela uYesu walithembisa ubomi obungunaphakade ezulwini. Wachazela abafundi bakhe abathembekileyo ukuba wayeza kubalungiselela indawo ukuze balawule kunye naye xa ekuzuko lwakhe. (Yohane 14:2, 3; Filipi 3:20, 21) Abo bavuselwa ezulwini “baya kuba ngababingeleli bakaThixo nabakaKristu, balawule njengookumkani kunye naye iminyaka eliwaka.”—ISityhilelo 20:6.

Bambalwa kuphela abalandeli bakaKristu abaza kufumana eli lungelo. UYesu wathi ngabo: “Musani ukoyika, mhlambi mncinane, ngenxa yokuba kukholekile kuYihlo ukuninika ubukumkani.” (Luka 12:32) Wawuza kuba mncinane kangakanani loo “mhlambi mncinane?” ISityhilelo 14:1, 4 sithi: “Khangela! ndabona iMvana [uYesu Kristu ovusiweyo] imi phezu kweNtaba yeZiyon [yasezulwini], kumi nayo ikhulu elinamashumi amane anesine lamawaka linalo igama layo negama loYise libhaliwe emabunzini alo. . . . Aba bathengwa phakathi koluntu njengeentlahlela kuThixo nakuyo iMvana.” Aba bantu bayi-144 000 ‘bangumhlambi omncinane’ ngokwenene xa bethelekiswa neebhiliyoni zabantu abakhe baphila. Ekubeni kuthiwa baza kuba ngookumkani, baza kulawula oobani?

UYesu wathetha nangeqela lesibini labantu abathembekileyo abaza kungenelwa kulawulo loBukumkani basezulwini. Wathi kuYohane 10:16: “Ndinazo nezinye izimvu, ezingezizo ezesi sibaya; nazo ezo ndimele ndize nazo, yaye ziya kuliphulaphula ilizwi lam, zize zibe mhlambi mnye, nomalusi abe mnye.” Ezo ‘zimvu’ zikhangele phambili ekuphileni ngonaphakade emhlabeni—themba  elo ababekade benalo uAdam noEva. Sazi njani ukuba ezi zimvu ziza kuphila emhlabeni?

IBhayibhile ithetha kaninzi ngeParadesi yasemhlabeni. Ungazibonela ngokwakho oko ngokuthi ufunde eBhayibhileni yakho ezi zibhalo zilandelayo: INdumiso 37:9-11; 46:8, 9; 72:7, 8, 16; Isaya 35:5, 6; 65:21-23; Mateyu 5:5; Yohane 5:28, 29; ISityhilelo 21:4. Ezi zibhalo zithetha ngokupheliswa kweemfazwe, indlala, ukugula nokufa. Zithetha ngexesha laxa abantu abalungileyo beya kuzakhela izindlu zabo, balime umhlaba wabo, yaye bakhulise abantwana babo eluxolweni. * Ngaba akunqweneli ukuphila ubomi obunjalo? Sinesizathu esivakalayo sokukholelwa ukuba ezi zithembiso ziza kuzaliseka kungekudala.

Ukuba ucingisisa nzulu ngoko uThixo akwenzele kona wena kunye nabo bonke abantu, kucacile ukuba kuninzi oko sele esenzele kona. Usinike ubomi, ingqondo, impilo, nezinto eziyimfuneko ukuze siqhubeke siphila. Ngaphezu koko, isipho sikaThixo sedini likaYesu owasifelayo, sinokusizisela iintsikelelo ezingakumbi, njengoko sifundile kuYohane 3:16.

Uluntu lunethemba lokuphila ngonaphakade eluxolweni, lonwabile, yaye lungenaxhala lokugula, iimfazwe, indlala okanye ukufa. Ukuba uza kuzifumana ezo ntsikelelo okanye akunjalo, kuxhomekeke kuwe. Umbuzo omele uzibuze wona ngowokuba, Yintoni wena oyenzela uThixo?