• IBhayibhile iye yasinda kwiintlaselo zabantu abanegunya. Ngokomzekelo, kwiminyaka eyadlulayo, kumazwe anabantu ababezibiza ngokuba ngamaKristu, “nabani na owayeneBhayibhile okanye eyifunda ngolwimi lwasekuhlaleni kwakusithiwa ngumwexuki nomvukeli,” itsho njalo incwadi ethi An Introduction to the Medieval Bible. Abaphengululi ababeguqulela iBhayibhile kulwimi lwasekuhlaleni okanye ababekhuthaza ukuba ifundwe babeka ubomi babo emngciphekweni. Abanye bade babulawa.

• Ingafunwa injalo, iBhayibhile isaqhubeka iyeyona ncwadi yakha yasasazwa kakhulu kwimbali. Kuqikelelwa ukuba ziibhiliyoni ezintlanu iiBhayibhile okanye iinxalenye zayo eziye zaprintwa ngeelwimi ezingaphezu kwe-2 800. Oku kwahluke kakhulu kwiincwadi zentandabulumko, ezesayensi okanye ezinjengezo, ezikhawuleza ziphelelwe lixesha.

• IBhayibhile iye yanceda abantu baziqonda ngakumbi ezinye iilwimi eguqulelwe kuzo. Inguqulelo yesiJamani kaMartin Luther iye yanegalelo kwindlela oluthethwa ngayo olu lwimi. Uhlelo lokuqala lweKing James Version luchazwa “njengeyona ncwadi iye yanefuthe kakhulu ebantwini” kwisiNgesi.

• IBhayibhile iye “yanefuthe elikhulu kwisithethe saseNtshona, iphembelela kungekuphela nje iinkolelo nendlela yokuphila, kodwa nobugcisa, iincwadi, umthetho, iipolitiki nezinye izinto ezininzi.”—The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Books of the Bible.

Ezo zezinye zezinto ezenza iBhayibhile yahluke. Kodwa ke, kutheni isaziwa kangaka? Kutheni abantu babeka ubomi babo engozini ngenxa yayo? Nazi ezinye izizathu: IBhayibhile inamacebiso obulumko ngendlela esinokuphila ngayo nendlela esinokusondela ngayo kuThixo. Isinceda sazi oyena nobangela wezinto ezimbi ezenzekayo neemfazwe. Okuvuyisa nangakumbi kukuba isithembisa ukuba zonke ezi zinto ziza kuphela, kwaye isichazela ngendlela okuza kwenzeka ngayo oku.

Imfundo yeli hlabathi ibalulekile. Kodwa “imfundo enomsila . . . ayisosiqinisekiso sokuba unokukwazi ukwenza isigqibo seyona ndlela ifanelekileyo yokuziphatha ebomini,” watsho njalo umhleli wephephandaba laseKhanada iOttawa Citizen. Enyanisweni, abantu abaninzi abafunde bayityekeza—abaphambili kwezoshishino naseburhulumenteni—bayaqhatha, bayarhwaphiliza, kwaye bangamasela, nto leyo ebangela ukuba “abantu bangabathembi,” ngokutsho kohlolisiso olwenziwa ehlabathini lonke yinkampani yezonxibelelwano iEdelman.

IBhayibhile ifundisa ngendlela yokuphila nangoThixo. Isenza sazi “ubulungisa nomgwebo nokuthe tye, ikhondo lokulungileyo liphela.” (IMizekeliso 2:9) Nanku umzekelo, umfana oneminyaka eyi-23, esiza kumbiza ngokuba nguStephen, wayevalelwe entolongweni ePoland. Ngoxa wayelapho, waqalisa ukufunda iBhayibhile waza wawathanda amacebiso akuyo. Wathi: “Ngoku ndiyazi ukuba kuthetha ukuthini ‘ukubeka uyihlo nonyoko,’ kwaye ndifunde ukuzibamba, ingakumbi xa ndinomsindo.”—Efese 4:31; 6:2.

Umgaqo owanceda uStephen ngulo ukwiMizekeliso 19:11: “Ingqiqo yomntu ngokuqinisekileyo imenza azeke kade umsindo, yaye kuyinto entle kuye ukukubetha ngoyaba ukunxaxha.” Ngoku, xa ejamelene neemeko ezinzima, uye azame ukuzola aze asebenzise imigaqo yeBhayibhile enokumnceda kwezo meko. Wathi: “Ndifumanise ukuba iBhayibhile yeyona ncwadi ibalaseleyo yokusikhokela.”

UMaria, oliNgqina likaYehova, wathukwa lelinye ibhinqa elinomkhethe phambi kwabantu, libangela isiphithiphithi. Endaweni yokuba aphindise, wasuka wazola waza walishiya kuloo ndawo. Eli bhinqa lazisola laza lawakhangela amaNgqina. Malunga nenyanga emva koko, laphinda ladibana noMaria, lamanga, laza lacela uxolo. Ngaphezu koko, laqonda ukuba ukuzola nokuzibamba kukaMaria kwakubonisa iinkolelo anazo. Kwenzeka  ntoni emva koko? Eli bhinqa lalinomkhethe kunye nabantu bakowalo abahlanu bagqiba ukuba bafunde iBhayibhile namaNgqina kaYehova.

UYesu Kristu wathi ubulumko bungqineka ngemiphumo yasemva kokuba busetyenzisiwe. (Luka 7:35) Ngoko ke, buninzi ubungqina obubonisa ukuba imigaqo yeBhayibhile iyasebenza! Isinceda siphucule kakhulu kubuntu bethu. ‘Imenza abe nobulumko ongenamava,’ ‘ibangela ibe nemihlali intliziyo,’ ize ‘ikhanyisele amehlo’ ngoThixo nangendlela yokuziphatha.—INdumiso 19:7, 8.

Abaphandi xa befunda ngesifo esosulelayo baye bazame ukwazi oyena nobangela waso. Nathi xa sifuna ukwazi unobangela weentlungu neemfazwe ezintlitha uluntu sisebenzisa umgaqo ofanayo. Nalapha, iBhayibhile iluncedo kakhulu kuba isixelela ngemvelaphi yethu nangexesha ezaqala ngalo iingxaki zobomi.

Incwadi yeGenesis ibonisa ukuba iingxaki zabantu zaqala xa abantu bokuqala bavukela uThixo. Phakathi kwezinye izinto, bakhetha ukuzigqibela ngento elungileyo nengalunganga—ilungelo loMdali wethu kuphela. (Genesis 3:1-7) Okubuhlungu kukuba, ukususela ngoko, abantu baye benza kanye oko. Kuye kwenzeka ntoni emva koko? Kuyo yonke imbali, abantu khange bakhululeke baze bonwabe, kodwa bebesilwa iimfazwe, becinezelana kwaye bephila ngendlela engamkholisiyo uThixo. (INtshumayeli 8:9) Ichanile iBhayibhile xa isithi: “Asikokomntu ohambayo ukwalathisa inyathelo lakhe.” (Yeremiya 10:23) Iindaba ezimnandi zezokuba lo mbhodamo obangelwe kukuzama kwabantu ukuzilawula sele uza kuphela.

IBhayibhile isiqinisekisa ukuba uThixo, ngenxa yokuba ebathanda abo balihlonelayo igunya nemilinganiselo yakhe, akasayi kubunyamezela ngonaphakade ububi neentlungu ezibubangelayo. Abantu abangendawo baya “kudla isiqhamo seendlela zabo.” (IMizekeliso 1:30, 31) Kwelinye icala, “abalulamileyo baya kuwudla ilifa umhlaba, baziyolise ngokugqibeleleyo ngobuninzi boxolo.”—INdumiso 37:11.

UThixo uza kuyiphumeza injongo yakhe ngomhlaba esebenzisa ‘ubukumkani bakhe.’ (Luka 4:43) Obo Bukumkani ngurhulumente oza kulawula umhlaba wonke, kwaye uThixo uza kubusebenzisa ukubonisa ukongama kwakhe phezu koluntu. Kumthandazo ongumzekelo, uYesu wanxibelelanisa obo Bukumkani nomhlaba, kuba wathi: “Mabufike ubukumkani bakho. Makwenzeke ukuthanda kwakho nasemhlabeni.”—Mateyu 6:10.

Abantu abalawulwa buBukumkani bukaThixo baza kwenza ukuthanda kwakhe, bemgqala uMdali njengoyena Mlawuli ufanelekileyo, kungekhona abantu. Urhwaphilizo, ukubawa, ukungalingani kwezoqoqosho, ukucalulana ngebala neemfazwe, ziza kuphela. Ihlabathi lonke liza kumanyana, libe norhulumente omnye kwaye bonke baza kuphila ngemilinganiselo kaThixo efanayo.—ISityhilelo 11:15.

 Ukuze siphile kweli hlabathi litsha, kufuneka sifunde. Eyoku-1 kuTimoti 2:3, 4 ithi: ‘UThixo uthanda ukuba zonke iintlobo zabantu zisindiswe zize zifikelele elwazini oluchanileyo lwenyaniso.’ Le nyaniso ziimfundiso zeBhayibhile esinokuthi ngumgaqo-siseko woBukumkani—imithetho nemigaqo obuza kulawula ngayo, ibe imizekelo yayo siyifumana kwiNtshumayelo kaYesu Kristu yaseNtabeni. (Mateyu, isahluko 5-7) Xa ufunda ezi zahluko zintathu, zenzele umfanekiso-ngqondweni wokuba buza kuba njani ubomi xa wonke umntu ephila ngamazwi kaYesu obulumko.

Ngaba imele isimangalise into yokuba iBhayibhile iyeyona ncwadi isasazwe kakhulu ehlabathini? Akunjalo! Iimfundiso zayo zibonisa ukuba iphefumlelwe nguThixo. Into yokuba abantu abaninzi benayo ibonisa umnqweno kaThixo wokuba bonke abantu beelwimi neentlanga bafunde ngaye kwaye bazuze kwiintsikelelo eziza kuphunyezwa buBukumkani bakhe.—IZenzo 10:34, 35.