Creation and the Shroud
It has become clear to me that to be a devoted follower of Jesus, I must have a conviction about the finished work of Christ and the importance of a surrendered life to the Spirit of God. Two of the most important of these convictions are my understanding and acceptance of the doctrine of creation, and the confidence I have in who Jesus is and what He accomplished, in particular His death and resurrection. Without embracing a literal interpretation of Scripture (unless the context says otherwise), the believer opens his mind to modifying or denying the Word of God to suit his lifestyle. Fullness in one's relationship with God acknowledges His authority over the believer as one who has been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20).
God Created
One of the most controversial subjects of
Scripture is the account of creation in Genesis 1 and 2. Even within
Christianity, there are many different positions and strong feelings about the
age of the earth and the universe, and how literally Genesis 1 and 2 should be
believed. Those who believe, like me, in a young earth (YEC) are usually in a
real minority, although it is the most literal interpretation of the Genesis
account. The seriousness of these questions is evidence that the devil would
love man to be unsure about his origins, which provides great uncertainty about
his future.
For the first seventeen centuries after Jesus’s first coming, this subject was not a point of contention for Christians. Charles Darwin and his “The Origin of Species” changed the landscape, promoted by Thomas Huxley in the late nineteenth century. Up until this time, science and Christianity had a great relationship, as new scientific discoveries by great scientists, many of whom were Christians, from the 15th to the 19th centuries, provided a real definition of the physical life that man faces. Darwin's book changed all that and provided the skeptic with the ammunition he needed to defend his presupposition that God is either not knowable as the Bible teaches or He doesn’t even exist. Evolution is now widely accepted within much of the Western world as an indisputable fact. Yet, its scientific support is dwindling quickly as new technologies have opened the minds of man to microbiology and the intricacies of the world not visible to the average person.
In the beginning God created [bara – created from nothing, new and perfect] the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:26-27
Once an individual accepts that the God of the Bible is the source of creation, the question he must ask himself is how committed God is to His creation, particularly man. The Deists of the days of America’s founding believed that God created, but left it to run its own course based on natural laws. This view is not Biblically acceptable. The fact is that the Lord is intimately aware and involved in His creation like an artist who cares for his masterpiece. For we are His workmanship [masterpiece], created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).
Unlike the angels and the animals, humans can have a very special relationship with God. He not only gave us personality, minds to think with, emotions to feel with, and wills to make decisions, but also gave us an inner spiritual nature that enables us to know Him and worship Him. The image of God in men and women has been marred by sin, but through faith in Christ and submission to the Holy Spirit, believers can experience the divine nature renewed within them. The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; from His dwelling place He looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works (Psalm 33:13-15). He is intimately involved in the affairs of man, in particular those who believe in Him.
Man was created to have dominion over the earth; Adam and Eve were the first regents over God's creation. According to Psalm 115:16, The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth He has given to the sons of men. But when Adam believed Satan's lie and ate of the forbidden fruit, he lost his kingship; and then sin and death would reign over the earth. This was a temporary condition, as there would be a divine solution in the form of the seed of a woman. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel” (Genesis 3:15).
Qualified
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it? "On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Job 38:4-7
Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm and said, “Now gird up your loins like a man; I will ask you, and you instruct Me. “Will you really annul My judgment? Will you condemn Me that you may be justified? “Or do you have an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like His? Job 40:6-9
When man questions the events of his life
in light of a righteous and just God, he is rarely able to accept that the Lord
does whatever He pleases (Psalm 115:3) since He is both Creator and King over
His creation. This is the essence of Job's trial. For the first 37 chapters of
the book, Job does not understand why he is facing such an overwhelming
challenge, since he doesn't think he did anything to deserve it, and God
remains totally silent. Then, in chapters 38 and 39, God asks Job 77 questions
about creation and man's involvement in the details of life. God was trying to
teach that He is sovereign in the affairs of man because He is the only One
capable of handling that job. In chapter 40, the Lord takes the argument
further by asking Job if he can administer perfect justice. In chapter 42, Job
finally understands that he has no right to tell the Lord how to complete the
Lord's business. “I have heard of You by
the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You; Therefore, I retract, and I
repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5-6). Job finally understood that God’s
ways are perfect.
Omniscience & Omnipresence
If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night,” Even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You. For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You. Psalm 139:9-18
The above psalm, a Psalm of David, addresses God's omnipresence and omniscience and reflects on the intimacy that defines God's involvement in creation and in man's perpetual life. When understood in its completeness, these doctrines provide solid ground for the believer's confidence and hope. The original brings out that, although He spoke the world into existence, He formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. The leading idea in the psalm seems to be that of comfort from the fact that God is everywhere; that he knows all that pertains to us; that we can never be hidden from his view; that he has known us from the beginning; that as he fashioned and formed us, making us what we are, he knows all our necessities, and can supply them. According to Ecclesiastes 7:29, “Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices.” God's ultimate conclusion of man is to be made upright – righteous, but man's tendencies are the opposite.
The Lord is Faithful
Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created [bara] these stars, the One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, not one of them is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the Lord, and the justice due me escapes the notice of my God"? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not become weary or tired. Isaiah 40:26-28
O Lord, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your possessions. There is the sea, great and broad, in which are swarms without number, animals both small and great. There the ships move along, and Leviathan, which You have formed to sport in it. They all wait for You to give them their food in due season. You give to them, they gather it up; You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good. You hide Your face, they are dismayed; You take away their spirit, they expire and return to their dust. You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the ground. Psalm 104:24-30
God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they. Hebrews 1:1-4
In Psalm 19:1, The heavens are telling of the glory of God, and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. When man observes how God manages the affairs of the heavens and the earth, it is clear that He is completely in charge and His glory is visible. He never grows tired of this work, and He is always faithful to meet the needs of His creation. He upholds all things by the word of His power. The ultimate conclusion the believer can arrive at is that the Lord is completely trustworthy to take care of every matter according to His perfect wisdom, righteousness, and justice. He is looking for believers to bless and strongly support. “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His” (2 Chronicles 16:9). Creation did not end in Genesis 1 and 2, but the Lord continues manage His creation according to His perfect will.
The Gospel
In 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, the Gospel is found clearly stated as the death, burial & resurrection of Christ: For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. In the same passage, Paul further explains that without the resurrection, we have nothing. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:16-19).
And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. John 20:6-7
Man of the Shroud
I recently listened to an audiobook entitled "Revisiting the Shroud of Turin" by Dr. Michael Yeager. I've done research on the Shroud of Turin in the past, and I have been firmly convinced that it is the real thing. Dr. Yeager admits in his book that he had previously written it off as a hoax due to a flawed carbon-14 dating conducted in 1988. It is now clear that the samples chosen to perform the test were taken from an outer part of the linen that had been repaired from a fire by nuns in the 14th century. No wonder it dated the Shroud as a medieval forgery. The devil has gone out of his way over the years to undermine the perceived legitimacy of this artifact since it proves not only the reality of Jesus and the Resurrection, but it also confirms the Biblical accounts of the Gospels. It provides real proof that, But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
The Shroud of Turin is a 14-foot cloth in which many believe Jesus Christ was buried, and may be the most studied artifact in history—and the most controversial. For centuries, scientists and historians have pored over this bloodstained piece of linen that bears the faint outline of a crucified man, hoping to uncover what the image represents and how it was created.
The first documented reference to the Shroud dates back to the 14th century. Historical records suggest it changed hands many times until 1578, when it wound up in its current home—the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy. The Catholic Church has never taken an official position on the cloth's authenticity, but the Vatican has made statements attesting to its value and arranged for public viewings.
The advent of photography in the late 19th century forever altered the course of the Shroud's history. In 1898, a lawyer named Secondo Pia took the first known photograph of the cloth, and his negative revealed new details—including strikingly clear facial features—that could not be observed with the naked eye. Scientific interest in the relic immediately picked up. In 1902, the French anatomist Yves Delage, an agnostic, inspected the photographs and pronounced that the figure on the Shroud was indeed Jesus Christ.
The first direct examinations of the cloth were conducted in the 1970s, most famously by the Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP), a team of scientists led by physicist John P. Jackson of the University of Colorado. The group found that the markings on the cloth were consistent with a crucified body and that the stains were real human blood; they also suggested that the image’s shading patterns contained three-dimensional information. They could not explain how the imprint ended up on the fabric in the first place.
In 1988, scientists removed a swatch of the Shroud for radiocarbon testing. Three independent laboratories concluded that the material originated between 1260 and 1390, leading some to deem it inauthentic. Since then, however, further studies have cast doubt on those results, suggesting that the Shroud may indeed date back to the time of Jesus Christ's life and death.
In March 2010, researchers unveiled a revolutionary radiocarbon dating method that could allow scientists to accurately determine the ages of precious artifacts such as the Shroud of Turin. Unlike traditional carbon dating, the new process does not require samples; instead, the entire object is exposed to an electrically charged gas that gently oxidizes its surface without causing damage. This means that someday soon the world may have a more precise estimate of the Shroud of Turin's true age.
The Shroud is rectangular, measuring approximately 4.4 × 1.1 m (14.3 × 3.7 ft). The cloth is woven in a three-to-one herringbone twill composed of flax fibrils. Its most distinctive characteristic is the faint, brownish image of a front and back view of a naked man with his hands folded across his groin. The two views are aligned with the body's midplane and point in opposite directions. The front and back views of the head nearly meet in the middle of the cloth.
The image of the "Man of the Shroud" has a beard, mustache, and shoulder-length hair parted in the middle. He is muscular and tall (various experts have measured him as from 1.70 m, or roughly 5 ft 7 in, to 1.88 m, or 6 ft 2 in). The Shroud was damaged in a fire in 1532 in the chapel in Chambery, France. There are some burn holes and scorched areas down both sides of the linen, caused by contact with molten silver during the fire that burned through it in places while it was folded. Fourteen large triangular patches and eight smaller ones were sewn onto the cloth by Poor Clare nuns to repair the damage.
The Sudarium of Oviedo
On the other
hand, the Sudarium—which has been in the possession of the Knights
Templar, the Moors, El Cid, saints, and bishops—is known to have been in Spain
since 631 A.D. Before that, it was,
according to an account by Antoninus of Piacenza, hidden in a cave near the
monastery of St. Mark, not far from Jerusalem. When Persian forces invaded the
Byzantine provinces in 614, the oak case containing the Sudarium was spirited
out of Palestine through North Africa by Philip "the Presbyter," a
leader of the Christian community there.
Philip and his precious cargo were welcomed to Alexandria by John the
Almoner, bishop of Alexandria at the time. When the Persians pushed on into
Egypt, the chest was carried into Spain and entrusted to St. Fulgentius, who
sent it on to Seville. The Ark was carried from Toledo north to Monte Sacro in
Asturias in 711 A.D., to escape the advancing Moors. It was there that King
Alfonso II turned back the Moors and erected a Camara Santa (holy chamber) to
shelter the relics. King Alfonso had the ancient oak chest plated with silver
with the inscription "The Sacred Sudarium of Our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Conclusion
When the believer
concludes that God is completely committed to His creation and wants to see man
succeed, and that the Man in the Shroud is Jesus, then he is personally
introduced to and maintained by the love of God. C. S. Lewis had a picture of
the Shroud of Turin in his bedroom to remind him, "Our God has a
face"! After seeing “The Passion of the Christ” in a movie theatre when it
first came out many years ago, the entire audience walked out dumbfounded,
overwhelmed, having seen only a glimpse of what Jesus actually went through. The
plan of God for His creation, particularly man is a plan of love since He is a
God who loves unconditionally. Accepting that reality is the believer’s
invitation into the glorious kingdom, as defined by that love.
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