“Yendani monga koyenera maitanidwe amene munaitanidwa nako….. kulolerana wina ndi mnzake m’chikondi” ( Aefeso 4:1-2 ).

Pakufuna kwathu kukula mwa Khristu, kulolerana mu ubale wathu ndi ena ndikofunikira. Ndilo maziko okulitsa zipatso zonse za mzimu, pakuti popanda iwo tingakhale motani achimwemwe, amtendere, oleza mtima, odekha, ndi aumulungu​—osati kokha kunja koma kuchokera mumtima?

Chomwe chimatilimbikitsa kwambiri pa chikondi chathu cha Mulungu ndicho kuzindikira chisomo chake chodabwitsa pakulekerera kugwa kwathu.

Tikamayamikira mfundo imeneyi, tingakhale ololera kwa ena amene ali mu uchimo. Timavomereza kuti kulolera kwa Mulungu kwa uchimo kwakhazikika pa dongosolo lake la chiombolo cha mtundu wa anthu. Mphatso yaikulu ndi nsembe ya Mwana Wake yobwezeretsa anthu ku umodzi ndi Mulungu. Kulekerera kwake uchimo ndi kwakanthawi. Chilolezo chake cha kuipa chikuloledwa kaamba ka maphunziro a zokumana nazo za anthu ndi kukulitsa gulu la Mkwatibwi la oloŵa nyumba anzake a Kristu. Mulungu amalekerera kwa kanthaŵi kupanda ungwiro mwa zolengedwa Zake, ndipo ifenso tiyenera kulekerera. Makhalidwe ambiri ochimwa amayamba chifukwa cha kusadziŵa chimene chili choyenera kapena chifukwa chopanda mphamvu yotsatirira chilungamo. Pamene tikuchita kusalolera timatsogozedwa ku zolakwa zambiri pakuweruza.

Zitsanzo za Kusalolera ndi Kulekerera

Pali zitsanzo zambiri za m’Malemba za kusalolera mopambanitsa. Zinayamba ndi Kaini ndi Abele. Kaini sakanalola kuti Mulungu alandire nsembe ya Abele ngati Mulungu sanalandire yake.

Nsanje inamupangitsa kupha. Ansembe ambiri, Afarisi, ndi Alembi anali osalolera ziphunzitso ndi machiritso a Ambuye wathu. Sanali kuwayamikira kapena kusunga Chilamulo monga mmene iwo ankachimasulira. Iwo anakula m’kusalolera kwawo Yesu, mpaka anakonza chiwembu cha imfa yake. Diotrefe anachitira mpingo zoipa zambiri m’kusalolera kwake mamembala onse osamvera iye, ngakhale kuwachotsa mu chiyanjano (3 Yohane 9:10). Herode sanalole anthu otsutsa ulamuliro wake, ngakhale kupha ana aamuna osapitirira zaka ziŵiri pofuna kupha Mesiya. Mfumu Sauli nayenso anasonyeza mkhalidwe umenewu pozunza Davide, chifukwa chakuti sanalole wopikisana naye aliyense pampando wake wachifumu, ngakhale kuti ananyinyirika kulandira ufumuwo pamene unapatsidwa kwa iye choyamba.

Kumbali ina, Nikodemo anasonyeza kulolera pamene anapita kwa Ambuye wathu kukadziŵa zambiri ponena za ziphunzitso za Yesu. Yesu anasonyeza kulolera poyankha moleza mtima kufunsa kwake kochokera pansi pa mtima. Anthu a ku Atene anamvetsera kwa Paulo pa Phiri la Mars ndipo anamvetsera moleza mtima, kufikira pamene anatchula za chiukiriro cha akufa. Paulo mololera anavomera kuchita mwambo Wachiyuda wochotsa tsankho Lachikristu lachiyuda pa iye ponena za pangano lachilamulo, limene kuchita kwake kunachititsa kuti amangidwe ndi ulendo wake wopita ku Roma.

Yesu anali wololera kwa ophunzira ake, ngakhale pa tsiku lomaliza la utumiki wake, pamene anamva chikhumbo cha ena chofuna kukhala wamkulu mu ufumu. Iye analekerera kulephera kwawo kuyang’ana ndi kupemphera m’munda wa Getsemane, pamene iwo anagona. Iye analekerera bwanji Petro, amene anakana kuti sakumudziwa kamodzi kokha, koma katatu. Ambuye wathu sanalole kuti maphunzirowo apite, koma anadzudzula modekha ndi mawu osakhumudwitsa koma opereka yankho loyenera. Kulekererako kunapitirizabe ndi Saulo, pambuyo pake Paulo, amene anamzunza (ziŵalo za thupi la Kristu). Ndiye palinso kulolera kwa Ambuye wathu kwa ife amene poyamba tinali otalikirana ndi Mulungu chifukwa cha ntchito zoipa. Kulekerera ndi khalidwe la Mkristu wokhwima maganizo.

Kulekerera si kulekerera zinthu zina zimene zikuoneka kuti n'zolakwika. Timauzidwa kuwongolera mbale ngati taona wachitidwa cholakwa, osati kum’dzudzula koma kum’thandiza kuwona njira yolondola, kubweza woterowo ku njira yauchimo “mu mzimu wa chifatso” ( Agalatiya 6 ) . 1 NASB). Ndi chikondi chathu cha phileo ndi agape kwa abale chimene chiyenera kuchitidwa, ndi malo abwino kwambiri omangirirana wina ndi mnzake kuposa m’misonkhano yathu.

Kuchita zimenezi kumatithandiza kuti tizikondana kwambiri. Chifukwa chakuti matchalitchi athu ali makonzedwe a Mulungu kaamba ka kumangirira oyera mtima ndi kukulitsa khalidwe mwa kuyanjana ndi anthu amene amakonda ndi kufuna kukondweretsa Yehova, kodi sitiyenera kufuna kugwirizana ndi Mulungu powadalitsa? Pamisonkhano imeneyi, tili ndi chosankha: Tikhoza kungopirira nthawi yathu pamodzi (mtundu wa kulolerana) kapena tikhoza kusangalala ndi kupindula ndi kuyanjana ndi abale athu (kulekerera kwenikweni). Zambiri zimadalira maganizo a aliyense wopezekapo.

“Kulekerera” m’Mabaibulo Athu

Mawu achingelezi akuti “tolerance” ndi “tolerance” sapezeka m’Baibulo la King James. M'malo mwake KJV imagwiritsa ntchito "kupirira, pirira, pirira, kuvutika." The New American Standard Bible (NASB) imamasulira Strong's G430 ngati "kulolerana" m'malemba awiri, Aefeso 4:2 ndi Aroma 2:4. Nkhaniyi ikutithandiza kuona bwino lomwe: “Chotero ine, wandende wa Ambuye, ndikukudandaulirani kuti muyende monga koyenera mayitanidwe amene munaitanidwa nako, ndi kudzichepetsa konse, ndi chifatso, ndi kuleza mtima, ndi kulolerana wina ndi mnzake, chikondi, kuchita changu kusunga umodzi wa Mzimu, mwa chomangira cha mtendere” ( Aefeso 4:1-3 ). Tikuona kuchokera m’lembali kuti kulolerana n’kofunika kuti tipitirire mu umodzi wa mzimu ndi abale athu. Kusalolera kumathetsa chomangira cha umodzi chimenechi ndipo kungayambitse ntchito zoipa: mikangano, miseche, mkwiyo, ndi magaŵano. Mutu wonse wa Aefeso 4 ukulankhula za ubale wathu ndi abale.

Pitani ku vesi 30-32 (NASB): “Musamvetse chisoni Mzimu Woyera wa Mulungu, amene mudasindikizidwa chizindikiro mwa Iye kufikira tsiku la chiwombolo. Kuwawidwa mtima konse ndi kupsa mtima ndi kupsa mtima ndi chiwawa ndi miseche zichotsedwe kwa inu pamodzi ndi zoipa zonse. Khalani okoma mtima wina ndi mnzake, a mtima wachifundo, okhululukirana wina ndi mnzake, monganso Mulungu mwa Kristu anakhululukira inu.” Choncho kulolerana ndi gawo la chipatso cha Mzimu Woyera wa Mulungu.

Ndime yachiwiri yogwiritsa ntchito “kulolera” ili pa Aroma 2:4. Timabwereza mawu apatsogolo ndi apambuyo, mavesi 1-4 : “Chifukwa chake mulibe chowiringula, yense wa inu amene akuweruza; pakuti inu oweruza muchita zomwezo. Ndipo tikudziwa kuti chiweruzo cha Mulungu chili choyenera pa iwo amene amachita zinthu zotere.

Koma kodi uyesa ichi, munthu iwe, pamene uweruza iwo akuchita zinthu zotere, ndi kuzichita iwe wekha, kuti udzapulumuka chiweruzo cha Mulungu? Kapena upeputsa kulemera kwa kukoma mtima kwake, ndi kulolera, ndi kuleza mtima kwake, posadziwa kuti kukoma mtima kwa Mulungu kukutsogolera ku kulapa?

“Chotero,” m’ndime yoyamba, akumaliza kuchokera m’chaputala 1 kuti oyera mtima amene kalatayo inapita kwa iwo analibe chodzikhululukira cha khalidwe lawo loipa. Chiweruzo chawo chinali cholondola potsutsa zinthu zoterozo, koma iwo anali kunyalanyaza chenicheni chakuti iwo anali kuchita zinthu zomwezo ndipo anali kudzakhala pansi pa chiweruzo cha Mulungu. Anali kupeputsa kukoma mtima ndi kulolera ndi kuleza mtima kwa Mulungu, osadziŵa kuti chifundo chimenechi chiyenera kuwatsogolera kulapa.

Phunziro limene tingatengepo ndi lakuti chizoloŵezi chilichonse chodzudzula ena chifukwa cha kusalolera kwinaku tikunyalanyaza kusalolera kwathu sikudzapulumuka chiweruzo cha Mulungu. Musaganize mopepuka za chuma cha kukoma mtima kwake, kulolera, ndi kuleza mtima kwake. Kulekerera ena kumasonyeza kuyamikira kwa Mulungu chifukwa cha kulolera kwathu.

“Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called ... showing tolerance for one another in love” (Ephesians 4:1-2 NASB).

In our quest for maturity in Christ, tolerance in our relationships with others is a necessity. It is a basis for developing all the fruits of the spirit, for without it how can we be joyful, peaceful, long-suffering, gentle, and godly — not just outwardly but from the heart?

The chief motivating factor for our love of God is recognition of His astounding grace in tolerating our fallen condition.

When we appreciate this fact, we can then be tolerant toward others in their fallen state. We acknowledge that God’s present tolerance of sin is based on His plan of redemption of thehuman race. The chief gift is His Son’s sacrifice of himself to bring mankind back to oneness with God. His tolerance of sin is temporary. His permission of evil is allowed for the experiential education of mankind and the development of the Bride class of joint heirs with Christ. God temporarily tolerates imperfection in His creatures, and we must tolerate it too. Most sinful conduct is due to either ignorance of what is right or not having the fortitude to pursue righteousness. When we exercise intolerance we are led into many errors in judgment.

Examples of Intolerance and Tolerance

There are many Scriptural examples of overt intolerance. It started with Cain and Abel. Cain would not tolerate God’s acceptance of Abel’s offering if God was not going to accept his.

Envy drove him to murder. Many of the Priests, Pharisees, and Scribes were intolerant of our Lord’s teachings and healings. He was not commending them nor keeping the Law the way they interpreted it. They grew in their intolerance of Jesus, to the point that they conspired for his death. Diotrephes did the church much harm in his intolerance of any members not subservient to him, even putting them out of the fellowship (3 John 9,10). Herod was intolerant of any opposition to his reign, even to the murder of boys under two years of age in his attempt to kill the Messiah. King Saul also manifested this trait in his persecution of David, for he could not tolerate any rival to his throne, even though he had been reluctant to receive the kingship when it was first bestowed upon him.

On the other hand, Nicodemus showed tolerance when he went to our Lord to find out more about Jesus’ teachings. Jesus showed tolerance in patiently answering his sincere inquiry. The Athenians gave Paul a hearing at Mars Hill and tolerantly listened, until he mentioned the resurrection of the dead. Paul tolerantly agreed to perform a Jewish rite to remove Jewish Christian prejudice against him regarding the law covenant, the performing of which rite resulted in his arrest and eventual trip to Rome.

Jesus was tolerant toward his disciples, even on the last day of his ministry, when he heard the desire of some to be the greatest in the kingdom. He was tolerant of their inability to watch and pray at the Garden of Gethsemane, when they fell asleep. How tolerant he was of Peter, who denied knowing him, not once but three times. Our Lord did not let the needed lessons slip by, but gently reproved with words that did not offend but rather brought forth the right response. The tolerance continued with Saul, later Paul, who persecuted him (the body members of Christ). Then there is our Lord’s tolerance toward us who were once alienated from God through wicked works. Tolerance is a trait of a mature Christian.

Tolerance is not putting up with some action that is manifestly wrong. We are told to correct a brother if we see him overtaken in a fault, not to condemn him but to help him to see the right way, restoring such a one from the path of sin “in a spirit of gentleness” (Galatians 6:1 NASB). It is our phileo and agape love for the brethren that is to be exercised, and what better place for building up one another than in our gatherings.

Doing so helps us grow in love. Because our ecclesia is God’s arrangement for the edification of the saints and the development of character through social interaction with those who love and want to please the Lord, should we not want to cooperate with God in blessing them? At these meetings, we have a choice: We can simply endure our time together (a form of tolerance) or we can rejoice and profit from the interchange with our brethren (true tolerance). Much depends on the mindset of each in attendance.

“Tolerance” in Our Bibles

The English words “tolerance” and “intolerance” are not found in the King James Bible. Instead the KJV uses “bearwith, endure, forbear, suffer.” The New American Standard Bible (NASB) does translate Strong’s G430 as “tolerance” in twotexts, Ephesians 4:2 and Romans 2:4. Context gives us the fuller picture: “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3). We see from this text that tolerance is necessary to continue in unity of spirit with our brethren. Intolerance breaks this bond of unity and can lead to evil works: strife, slander, bitterness, and division. The whole chapter of Ephesians 4 is speaking to our relationship with the brethren.

Skip down to verses 30-32 (NASB): “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Thus tolerance is part of the fruit of God’s holy Spirit.

The second text using “tolerance” is in Romans 2:4. We quote from the context, verses 1-4: “Therefore you have no excuse, every one of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things.

But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”

“Therefore,” in verse one, concludes from chapter 1 that the saints to whom the epistle was addressed had no excuse for their evil conduct. Their judgment was right in condemning such things, but they were ignoring the fact that they were practicing the same things and would come under the judgment of God. They had taken lightly the kindness and tolerance and patience of God, not realizing that these kindnesses should lead them to repentance.

A lesson we could take from this is that any tendency to condemn others for intolerance while ignoring our own intolerance will not escape the judgment of God. Do not think lightly of the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience. Tolerance toward others expresses gratitude for God’s tolerance toward us.

R. Whittaker