Yintoni ubhaptizo?
Kukuhlanjululwa kokomoya ngamanzi.
Ukubhaptizwa kukuba umntu uzalwe ngokutsha, ukwamkela ubabalo olungcwalisayo, esi sisipho sikaThixo sobomi bomoya. UYesu watyhila unxibelelwano phakathi kokholo nobhaptizo, xa wayefundisa, “Lowo ukholiweyo wabhaptizwa, wosindiswa; ke yena ongakholwayo, uya kugwetywa” (bona iVangeli kaMarko, 16:16). “Ngokwenene, ngokwenene, Ndithi kuni,” Uxela, ngaphandle kokuba umntu akazalwa ye amanzi noMoya, akanakungena ebukumkanini bukaThixo” (Bona uYohane 3:5; ugxininiso longeziwe).
UYesu ngokwakhe, nangona bengenasono, wabhaptizwa nguYohane oNgcwele ekuqaleni kobulungiseleli Bakhe basesidlangalaleni; bona incwadi yeVangeli kaMateyu, 3:13. Phawula: UYesu wayengenasono kuba wayenguThixo ngokupheleleyo kwaye engumntu ngokupheleleyo. Yeyokuqala, hayi le yokugqibela ibalulekileyo. Ngenxa yokuba wayenguThixo ngokupheleleyo-ingcamango nezenzo zakhe zazifanele zibe nguThixo–ngokwengcaciso umntu angatsho–ngokufanayo noThixo. (WayenguThixo, emveni kwakho konke.)
Ngoko, kwakutheni ukuze abhaptizwe? Akazange enze, kodwa njengoko uSaint Ambrose waseMilan wachazayo ngenkulungwane yesine, “INkosi yabhaptizwa, kungekhona ukuze azihlambulule kodwa kukucoca amanzi, ukuze loo manzi, ehlanjululwe ngenyama kaKristu, owayengasazi isono, babe namandla oBhaptizo” (Amagqabantshintshi ngeVangeli kaLuka 2:83).
Ngaphambi kokunyukela ezulwini, UYesu wawuphinda umyalezo wakhe kubapostile, “Hambani ke ngoko niye kuzenza abafundi zonke iintlanga, nibabhaptiza egameni loYise neloNyana neloMoya oyiNgcwele, nibafundisa ukuba bazigcine zonke izinto endiniyalele zona” (bona uMateyu 28:19-20).
Kwiintsuku ezimbalwa kamva, ngePentekoste, UPetros oNgcwele uthetha nesihlwele. Ekupheleni kwentshumayelo yakhe, uyabuzwa, “Siya kwenza ntoni?
UPetros uyaphendula, Guquka, nibhaptizwe nonke ngabanye egameni likaYesu Kristu, ukuze kuxolelwe izono zenu; kwaye niya kwamkela isipho soMoya oyiNgcwele. Kuba idinga likuni, nakubantwana benu, nakubo bonke abakude, wonke umntu iNkosi uThixo wethu ambize kuye” (IZenzo zabaPostile, 2:38-39).
YeCawa yobuPostile, Ubhaptizo yayilisango kubomi bobuKristu (bona kwiZenzo 8:12, 38; 9:18; 10:48). Ukwengeza, kwi IZenzo 8:37, ithenwa elingumTiyopiya, emva kokufumana iVangeli kuFilipu oNgcwele, ivakalisa umnqweno woBhaptizo. Ngokunjalo, kwiZenzo 16:33, UPawulos noSilas babhaptiza umgcini wamabanjwa waseFilipi nayo yonke indlu yakhe ‘ngaphandle kokulibazisa. Ebalisa eyakhe inguquko, UPawulos ukhumbula ukuba uAnaniyas wayethe kuye, “Ke ngoku ulindisela ntoni? Phakama ubhaptizwe, uzihlambe izono zakho, ebiza igama lakhe” (IZenzo 22:16). UPawulos uxelela abase-Efese ukuba “uKristu walithanda ibandla waza wazinikela ngenxa yalo, ukuze abe nako mngcwalise, emhlambulule ngokuhlamba kwamanzi ngelizwi” (Ileta kaPawulos eya kwabase-Efese, 5:25-26; ugxininiso longeziwe). Kweyakhe ileta eya kuTito, UPawulos wabhala ukuba sisindiswa “ngokuhlamba ukuzalwa ngokutsha.”
Imibhalo yokuqala yembali yamaKristu ingqina ukuzalwa ngokutsha ngobhaptizo lwamanzi. Malunga nonyaka 150, njengokuba, UJustin oNgcwele wathi abo babeza kubhaptizwa “baziswa sithi apho kukho amanzi, kwaye sizalwa ngokutsha kwangaloo ndlela nathi sazalwa ngayo ngokutsha. … Kuba noKristu wathi, ‘Ngaphandle kokuba ubani azalwe ngokutsha, Akayi kungena ebukumkanini bamazulu’ (UYohane 3:3)” (Uxolo lokuqala 61).
Kunyaka wonke 200, UClement oNgcwele wase-Alexandria wabhala, “Xa sibhaptizwa, sikhanyiselwe. Ukukhanyiselwa, senziwe oonyana. Benziwa oonyana, senziwe sagqibelela. Yenziwe yagqibelela, siye saba ngongenakufa. … Kukuhlanjwa esihlanjululwa ngako ezonweni…” (Umyaleli Wabantwana 1:6:26:1, 2). Malunga 217, USaint Hippolytus waseRoma wathetha ngokuza kukaKristu ehlabathini “nokubonakaliswa kwakhe ngobhaptizo., kwaye ukuzalwa ngokutsha kuya kuba kubo bonke abantu, kunye nokuhlaziywa kwesitya” (Intetho Engokupheliswa Kwehlabathi 1). Malunga 250, UCyprian waseCarthage utyhilwe, “Xa ibala lobomi bam bangaphambili lalikhukuliswe ngamanzi okuzalwa ngokutsha, ukukhanya okuvela phezulu kwagalela phezu kwentliziyo yam enyulu kwaye ngoku enyulu; emva koko ngoMoya ophefumlelweyo ophuma ezulwini, ukuzalwa kwam okwesibini kwandenza umntu omtsha” (Ileta eya kuDonatus 4).
Qaphela ukuba iSakramente yoBhaptizo ifanekiselwa kwangaphambili kuyo yonke iTestamente eNdala. KwiGenesis 1:2, kubhaliwe kwathiwa kwiNdalo, “UMoya kaThixo … uhamba phezu kwamanzi,” nomkhukula wamandulo owahlambulula umhlaba zombini zizizekeliso zobhaptizo. Njengoko oNgcwele uPetros wabhalayo, “Ngemihla kaNowa, ngexesha lokwakhiwa komkhombe … abambalwa, yiyo i, abantu abasibhozo, zasindiswa ngamanzi. Ubhaptizo, ehambelana nale, ngoku uyakusindisa, kungekuko ukukhupha ukungcola emzimbeni, kukubongoza uThixo ukuba abe nesazela esihlambulukileyo, ngovuko lukaYesu Kristu” (bona incwadi yokuqala kaPetros, 3:20-21; ugxininiso longeziwe).
Umyalelo womprofeti uElisha kwinjengele yaseSiriya uNahaman, ababeze kuye, befuna ukuphiliswa iqhenqa lakhe, yalatha ekuzalweni ngokutsha. “Hamba uye kuhlamba izihlandlo ezisixhenxe eYordan,” watsho umprofeti kuye, kwaye inyama yakho iya kubuyiselwa, wohlambuluka ke” (bona iNcwadi yesiBini yooKumkani 5:10 kunye neLevitikus, 14:7). Njengoko ebhala kwileta yakhe yokuqala eya kwabaseKorinte (10:2), UPawulos oNgcwele ubona imifuziselo yoBhaptizo kwilifu lomlilo nomsi elalihamba namaSirayeli entlango nakumanzi oLwandle Olubomvu awayewela kuwo.. (Ukwathetha ngesithethe soMnqophiso oMdala wolwaluko njengesandulela soBhaptizo kwiNcwadi yakhe eya kwabaseKolose. (2:11-12).