We concluded Appendix A by noting that linguistic analysis leaves us with only 2 principal reasons for questioning the ‘forever’ interpretation of ‘aionios’ when considering Jesus’ descriptions of God’s judgment. The first of these is that we don’t like the implications.

Siphila kwihlabathi elintsonkothe ​​ngendlela emangalisayo; intsonkothe ​​kakhulu, inyaniso, ukuba ixesha elininzi sinokuqikelela kuphela kwiziphumo ezinokuthi zibe kho zezenzo zethu. And when we also attempt to factor in the concept of a potentially unending chain of consequences, stretching from now to eternity, we begin to confront the possibility of an unlimited liability for the potentially devastating consequences of what may have seemed to us, at the time, to be minor acts of negligence or self-interest.

Ndiyacinga, umzekelo, of a pastor I once met whose driving really scared me, so that I felt I should warn him of the risks he was taking. But misplaced respect caused me to remain silent. A few weeks later he was killed in a head-on collision; and the relief charity he had been running collapsed. How many productive years of this pastor’s life were lost? How many lives of those involved in that crash were wrecked by his untimely death? How many potential acts of mercy never happened? Did any of them turn against God or fail to hear and respond to the gospel? How will I feel in eternity when I discover all the consequences of my failure to speak out? Even if I’ve been told that I won’t be held accountable for the offence, how can I live without finding myself on a never-ending guilt trip? Especially since I’d been pre-warned of my responsibility? (Funda Ez 33:2-9.)

The possibility of finding ourselves in an everlasting state of conscious condemnation and regret is, frankly, so overwhelming that, if the choice were ours, we might well be inclined to prefer a state of instant annihilation. But would that be a just outcome? Kuchaphazelo, we are suggesting that it would be OK for someone to inflict unspeakable pain and suffering on others, uze ke ubuyeke obu bomi ungakhange ujongane neziphumo. I think it should be quite readily apparent to us all that this could not be described as ʻjusticeʼ.

Kodwa, kwelinye icala, how can we be held responsible for the unforeseen consequences of such actions? Kwaye singabekwa njani ityala ngokuzifumana singamaxhoba eemeko ezingaphaya kwamandla ethu? Ngaba lityala lam ukuba ndakhulela ebuhlwempu okanye ekuxhatshazweni ndaza ndaguqukela kulwaphulo-mthetho okanye ukuthengisa ngomzimba: okanye ndiyanconywa ukuba ndikhulele kusapho lwabantu abazizinhanha?

Yiza kuloo nto, what real responsibility can I possibly have for what happens to those around me? Am I my brothers’ keeper? This sounds like a good opt-out: kodwa emva phaya kwizahluko zokuqala zeGenesis uThixo wenza kucace gca ukuba amabango anjalo akayi kuhlamba. Look again at the original story of Cain and Abel…

The man knew Eve his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Cain … Again she gave birth, to Cain’s brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. Njengoko ixesha lihamba, it happened that Cain brought an offering to Yahweh from the fruit of the ground. Abel also brought some of the firstborn of his flock and of its fat. Yahweh respected Abel and his offering, but he didn’t respect Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry, and the expression on his face fell. Yahweh said to Cain, “Uqumbeleni? Why has the expression of your face fallen? If you do well, will it not be lifted up? If you don’t do well, sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it.” … It happened when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him. Yahweh said to Cain, “Where is Abel, your brother?” Uthe, “Andazi. Ndingumgcini womntakwethu?” Yahweh said, “Ingaba wenze ntoni? The voice of your brother’s blood cries to me from the ground. Now you are cursed because of the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. Ukususela ngoku ukuya phambili, when you till the ground, it won’t yield its strength to you. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth.” Cain said to Yahweh, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. Khangela, you have driven me out this day from the surface of the ground. I will be hidden from your face, and I will be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth. It will happen that whoever finds me will kill me.” Yahweh said to him, “Therefore whoever slays Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” Yahweh appointed a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should strike him.
(Genesis 4:1-15)

Notice that the issue which God highlights was not what kind of offering was made, nor who was first to make it: kodwa isimo sengqondo esinikelwa ngaso. Abel was thankful and not ashamed to follow Cain’s example in his own way: but Cain was competitive and resented being outdone. God didn’t spell out how this would lead to tragedy: but made it very clear what his problem was, and how to fix it.

But notice also that God does not permit others to usurp his role as the one true judge of the hearts of others. Siphila kwihlabathi elixhomekeke omnye komnye esikulo, okokuqala kwaye ngaphambi kwento yonke, held accountable to God for the deeper motivations of our own hearts and how they affect our relationships with God and man, ngaphandle kokufana nokungafani kweemeko zethu zobuqu.

I Am Guilty Too!

Ndazalwa emva kweMfazwe Yehlabathi Yesibini; njengokuba iintshaba zangaphambili zazifuna ukuba ngabahlobo kwakhona. Amabali ahlekisayo neemuvi ayesoloko eboniswa ‘kwicala lethu’ njengamaqhawe kunye notshaba njengabangendawo abangenamigaqo: ukanti kwakukho amabali awayebaliswa malunga nokubonakaliswa kobuntu obubekekileyo ngabantu abavela kumacala omabini olwahlulo. Ke, Njengomtsha ongenankumbulo ngqo yezenzo zenkohlakalo zemfazwe ndiye ndafumanisa kulula ukwamkela umoya woxolelwaniso njengoko kwakusenziwa ubudlelwane obutsha kunye nobuhlobo..

Ndandingafane ndive umntu omdala ethetha phandle ngenkohlakalo abayibonayo: kodwa ngezihlandlo ezinqabileyo xa umntu ekwenzile, yayifana nokuchitheka kwesuphu ebilayo yevitriol. Ndikhumbula indlela elasabela ngayo elinye inenekazi elalinomyeni walo wayengcungcuthekiswa ngamaJapan; nini, njengomfundisi oselula, Ndandinobuganga bokuthi uYesu’ idini laliza kwanela nokugubungela izono zikaHitler, ukuba ebefanele ukuguquka. Kuye, oku yayikukukhanyela ngokunyelisa ubulungisa bukaThixo.

Ndiye ndaqhubeka ndikholelwa ukuba ithuku lam lichanekile; ukuba akukho nto yimbi kuyo yonke indalo enokulugqwesa idini ledini loNyana oyintanda kaThixo ongaphezu kokwanela kubo bonke ububi obakha bukho okanye obuya bukho.. Okwangoku, kokukhona ndiye ndabubona ubunzulu benkohlakalo uluntu olunokuthi lusike kubo, kokukhona ndikufumanisa kunzima ukuqonda nokuxolela.

Njengoko ubutyebi baseUkraine kungquzulwano olukhoyo neRussia luye lwaphucuka, Iingcinga nemithandazo yam iye yakhula ngakumbi kumbuzo wokuba amaqela alwayo anokuze axolelaniswe njani na; kwaye ndiye ndothuswa kukufumanisa ukuba ibango lembuyekezo liyidle nzulu kangakanani na entliziyweni yam.

I have struggled to maintain as far as possible an open heart towards those on both sides, remembering how easy it is to get dragged into the cycle of deception and revenge, rejoicing when it seems to me that enemies are getting their ‘just deserts.’ I have pondered that devilish path by which the human conscience becomes seared and indifferent to the sufferings of others. Kwaye ndiyikrobile indlela ekhokelela ekuqondeni okubi kakhulu ukuba wena ngokuthe chu ube sisilo kwaye awuboni ndlela yokuphuma.. Kuya kuba njani ukuqonda ukuba ube nguPutin okanye uHitler ngegazi lamawaka ezandleni zakho? Ungathemba njani ukulungisa? Kukweliphi inqanaba ukuba kusemva kwexesha kakhulu ukuba uguquke?

Ekugqibeleni, impendulo yemibuzo enjalo ingaphaya kwam: kodwa ndiyazi ukuba kowam ubumnyama kukho iingcinga nezenzo zobumnyama endizisolayo ngazo: kwaye ndiyazama ukuthi into efanayo iyasebenza nakuwe.

Yintoni ke? Ngaba singcono kunabo? Hayi, nangayiphi na indlela. Kuba besesiwanyusile ngenxa engaphambili, amaYuda kwanamaGrike;, nokuba baphantsi kwesono bonke. Njengoko kubhaliwe, “Akukho ulilungisa; Hayi, hayi enye. Akukho mntu uqondayo. Akukho namnye ofuna uYehova. Bonke baguqukile. Badibene. Akukho namnye owenza okuhle, Hayi, hayi, kakhulu nje.”(Rom 3:9-12)

Where Does the Real Blame Lie?

There is an old anecdote that says, when Adam ate the apple, he blamed God for making Eve: but Eve blamed the Serpent – and the Serpent hadn’t got a leg to stand on! This may raise a few laughs: but it misses the point. The Serpent actually began his temptation by claiming that God, foreseeing man’s potential for greatness, was deliberately withholding from Adam a full understanding of Good and Evil. This was a classic lie of the very worst kind; because it was almost true. Adam already had unfettered access to the fount of all knowledge – God himself. The only knowledge Adam lacked was that of Evil; and all it took for Adam to cross that fateful boundary was to do what Satan himself had done, by choosing his own self-interest rather than loving and trusting the One who had made him.

According to Satan’s twisted way of thinking, to be really ʻgod-likeʼ he had to have the ability to defy God’s will. Perhaps, as others have done, he fancied that God himself was really the one at fault. Emveni kwakho konke, if God had not given us free will, there never would have been a problem in the first place, would there? And God must have known what would happen; so doesn’t that make God himself the source of evil? Ngenye indlela, that is perfectly true – and God doesn’t deny it!

I form the light, and create darkness. I make peace, and create calamity. I am Yahweh, who does all these things. (Isa 45:7)

The fact is that God necessarily made it possible for us to do evil, simply by giving us the ability to choose whether or not to love. By creating light, God effectively also defined darkness as the absence of light. And in the same way, by establishing such virtues as peace and love, evil is automatically defined as the absence of these things. But that does not make God himself evil – far from it! The real blame, and the crucial moral distinction between people’s characters, depends on the choices they make and the motivation for those choices. God’s overriding concern is for the welfare of his creation, regardless of what this may cost him personally: whereas Satan’s chief value is to proclaim himself equal to God by defying God’s will.

As for us, we started out by following God’s rules: but were then seduced into a life of self-interest; still desiring virtue: but prisoners to our natural desires.

For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. … For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; kodwa ndibona omnye umthetho usebenza kum, usilwa nomthetho wengqondo yam, undenza umbanjwa womthetho wesono, osebenza ngaphakathi kwam. Yhini mfondini ndilishwangusha! oya kundihlangula kulo mzimba usisisulu sokufa? (Rom 7:19,22-24)

The Buck Stops Here

Khona apho yenza the buck stop and how can we find freedom from the penalty we deserve and our legacy of guilt? At the cross! This is the point at which God, in the person of Jesus, formally took upon Himself the ultimate responsibility and endured the consequences for all the evil that has ever been committed.

This is the only place where all are condemned, all can be forgiven; and none can stand in judgement against any other. Notice especially Jesus’ teaching about the unforgiving servant…

Ngenxa yoko ubukumkani bamazulu bufana nokumkani othile, owafuna ukubalelana nabakhonzi bakhe. Uthe xa eqala ukudibana, kwaziswa kuye omnye onetyala leetalente ezingamawaka alishumi. Kodwa ngenxa yokuba wayengakwazi ukuhlawula, yathi inkosi yakhe makuthengiswe ngayo, nomfazi wakhe, abantwana bakhe, nako konke abenako, kunye nentlawulo ekufuneka yenziwe. Wawa phantsi ngoko umkhonzi lowo, waqubuda kuyo, bathi, ‘Nkosi, yiba nomonde kum, ndonibuyekeza zonke!’ Inkosi yaloo mkhonzi, eqhutywa yimfesane, wamkhulula, waza wamxolela ityala. “Waphuma ke loo mkhonzi, wafumana omnye wabakhonza kunye naye, owayenetyala kuye leedenariyo ezilikhulu, wambamba, wambamba ngomqala, bathi, ‘Ndihlawule oko undityala kona!’ “Wawa phantsi ngoko ezinyaweni zakhe lo ubekhonza kunye naye, wambongoza, bathi, ‘Yiba nomonde kum, ndiya kukubuyekeza mna!’ Akazange avume, waya wamphosa entolongweni, ade alihlawule ityala elo. Ngoko xa abakhonzi ababekunye naye bakubona oko kwenzekileyo, baba buhlungu kakhulu, beza bayibikela inkosi yabo konke oko kwenzekileyo. Yambizela ke inkosi yakhe, wathi kuye, ‘Wena mkhonzi ungendawo! Ndakuxolela lonke elaa tyala, ngokuba undicengile. Ubungafanelanga ukuba ube nenceba nawe kokhonza kunye nawe, njengokuba nam ndanenceba kuni?’ Inkosi yakhe yaba nomsindo, wamnikela kubathuthumbisi, ade alihlawule lonke ityala lakhe kuye. Uya kwenjenjalo nakuni uBawo osemazulwini, ukuba anithanga nonke ngabanye nabaxolela abazalwana benu iziphoso zabo ngeentliziyo zenu.” (Mat 18:23-35[/]x)

Umnqamlezo yitrone yobabalo lukaThixo, apho bonke banokufumana ukuxolelwa. But by setting up ourselves to judge the worth of other peoples’ imiphefumlo, siyayikhanyela inceba esizinqwenela ngayo. Endaweni yoko, kufuneka silandele imiyalelo kaThixo ukuze simise uluntu lwaKhe lothando emhlabeni. Kwaye, ukuya kutsho kuloo nto, sifanele sisoloko siwaphaphele nawaphi na amathuba okunceda nokukhuthaza abanye ukuba babe namava angakumbi othando lukaThixo. (Bona kwakho Ez. 18:2-32 & 33:2-20.)

Bona ezinye iziHlomelo …