AbaseRoma 4 - iBhayibhili Elingcwele 1978

UAbrahama walungisiswa ngokukholwa

¹ Phoke, sizakuthini ngoAbrahama ukhokho wethu ngokwenyama na?

² Ngoba uba uAbrahama walungisiswa ngemisebenzi, ulakho angazincoma ngakho; kodwa kalakho phambi kukaNkulunkulu.

³ Ngoba umbhalo uthini na? Uthi: UAbrahama wakholwa kuNkulunkulu, wakubalelwa ukuthi kuyikulunga.

⁴ Nxa umuntu esebenza, iholo lakhe kakutshiwo ukuthi liyisiphiwo kodwa uhola umvuzo wakhe.

⁵ Kodwa nxa engasebenzi, kodwa ethemba kuye olungisisa abeyisa uNkulunkulu, ukukholwa kwakhe kubalelwa ukuba kuyikulunga.

⁶ Ngokunjalo uDavida laye ukhuluma ngokubusiswa komuntu uNkulunkulu ambalela ukulunga ngaphandle kwemisebenzi, esithi:

⁷ Babusisiwe abathethelelwe iziphambeko zabo, labazono zabo zisitshekelwe;

⁸ ubusisiwe lowomuntu iNkosi engayikumbalela isono.

⁹ Lokhukubusiswa kuqondene lalabo abasokileyo ingabe lalabo abangasokanga na? Ngoba sithi: Ukukholwa kukaAbrahama kwabalelwa ukuthi kuyikulunga.

¹⁰ Pho, kwabalelwa kanjani na? Lapho esesokile yini ingabe lapho engakasoki na? Kakubanga esesokile, kodwa engakasoki.

¹¹ Wamukela isibonakaliso sokusoka sibe luphawu lokulunga ayelakho ngokukholwa engakasoki. Kwaba njalo ukuba abe nguyise wabo bonke abakholwayo bengasokanga, ukuze ukulunga kubalelwe kibo;

¹² abe nguyise futhi wabasokileyo, kungabi ngoba bengabasokileyo kuphela, kodwa ngoba bahamba endleleni yokukholwa ayelakho ubaba uAbrahama engakasoki.

¹³ Ngoba isithembiso sokuthi uzakudla ilifa lomhlaba kasinikwanga uAbrahama lenzalo yakhe ngawo umlayo, kodwa sanikwa ngokulunga okungokukholwa.

¹⁴ Ngoba uba izindlalifa ziyizo ngawo umlayo, ukukholwa kwenziwe ize lesithembiso senziwa ize.

¹⁵ Ngoba umlayo uletha ulaka; kodwa lapho kungekho khona umlayo, kakukho lakweqa.

¹⁶ Kungakhoke kusiya ngokukholwa ukuze isithembiso sibe ngesomusa, siqiniseke enzalweni yakhe yonke, kungesiyo engeyomlayo kuphela, kodwa lakuyo engeyokukholwa kukaAbrahama ongubaba wethu sonke,

¹⁷ njengokulotshiweyo ukuthi: Ngikumisile ukuba ube nguyise wezizwe ezinengi. UAbrahama ungubaba wethu sonke phambi kukaNkulunkulu akholwa kuye, yena ovusa abafileyo, obiza okungekho ngokungathi kukhona.

¹⁸ UAbrahama owathi lingasekho ithemba, wakholwa ngethemba, ukuze abe nguyise wezizwe ezinengi, njengalokho okwatshiwo kuye ukuthi: Izakuba njalo inzalo yakho.

¹⁹ Kabanga buthakathaka ekukholweni nxa ebona umzimba wakhe ususifa, ngoba wayeseleminyaka elikhulu, lanxa ebona isizalo sikaSara siyinyumba.

²⁰ Kabanga lakuthandabuza ngesithembiso sikaNkulunkulu, kodwa waqina ekukholweni enika uNkulunkulu udumo,

²¹ eqinisekile ukuthi lokho akuthembisileyo ulamandla okukwenza.

²² Ngalokhoke ukukholwa kwakhe kwabalelwa kuye ukuthi kuyikulunga.

²³ Kodwa kakulotshwanga ngenxa yakhe yedwa ukuthi kwabalelwa kuye,

²⁴ kodwa langenxa yethu esizakubalelwa khona, thina esikholwa kuye owavusa uJesu iNkosi yethu kwabafileyo,

²⁵ owanikelwa ngenxa yeziphambeko zethu, wavuswa ngenxa yokulungisiswa kwethu.