Two famous Aussie died last week, and one controversial Israelite died almost 2,000 years ago. I did not expect to put those three names under one sentence, but somehow Joshua managed to used them as illustrations to conclude his talk this morning on John 6.
If I remembered correctly, the logic basically goes like this.
Steve Irwin died doing what he loved the most, being with the wild life animals. Peter Brock died doing what he loved the most, racing in his beloved Daytona Coupe. Jesus died for what he loved the most, hanging on the cross as atoning sacrifice for the sins of humanity. The difference is, Jesus did not die in an accident, but under very salvation plan of God. And it is this death that secured our future in heaven.
I guess I need to go through the recording again to figure out what I have missed.
FOCUS Church recording has been flaky lately, and it was partly my fault. My MP3 recorder was broken — possibly just a bad connector — that caused the sound switched on and off constantly. Maybe it is time to shop for a cheap replacement. Fortunately CW has been doing backup recording with his Creative so hopefully I’ll be able to grab what he has recorded today. (btw, you can download many talks this year on our preaching program page)
Hello.
I just stumbled accross this while “searching” the web for any mentions of Steve Irwin’s proffession of faith–if any. I tried to find anything on ‘the web’ for the first two or three days after his death; to no avail…and I suppose I had hoped that by now there might be SOMEthing out here on the net.
I should have known better than to look here (online) though. After a couple days of “fruitless” searches, I felt more and more that God wanted me coming to Him and not my computer. I did eventually start reading more scripture and less online news stories….but before I quit looking online…I did perform one last search–which yielded some very interesting information. I looked up the meaning of Steve’s name.
Stephen means “crowned” or “wreathed” and when used as a surname is specifically in reference to the first Christian martyr–the first one to see Christ in His Glory next to the Father.
Robert means “famous” “bright” and
Irwin is a Scottish place name meaning “green water”
I think I found my answer pertaining to Steve’s acceptability to the Lord too. I think it’s Roman’s chapter 2. Two things leapt from the page right at me:
1. I hadn’t been looking to God, nor had I been taking into account HIS perfect love, forgiveness, kindness etc etc etc.
2. Nowhere in all my memories of every scrap of footage I’ve ever seen of Steve Irwin could I find anything anti-Jesus, or God-rejecting….as a matter of fact, the things that Steve said made him most proud were right in line with God’s Law–making his parents proud of him, doing what they raised him to do…loving his wife and children–following his “mission”, “the reason I was put on this planet”–Steve obviously felt very strongly that he had been specially gifted and had a specific calling on his life.
When one compares/contrasts Brock with Irwin….well, there seems ample evidence that Irwin had a good deal of God’s law written on his heart.
I consider myself a Christian. I know that Jesus was foretold for literally thousands of years (Genesis on) I can even name several specific prophecies His birth, life, death and resurrection fulfilled. I am comfortable with such terms as atonement, justification, sanctification, redemption and even predestination. I can point out “evil” with surity and back up my proclamation with chapter and verse (ok, I might have to use a search engine or a concordance) ….but all that just brings me right back to Romans chapter 2.
Those of us who are familiar with scripture….those of us who KNOW the law, who are so comforted by our sumbission to one another and our eagerness for more knowledge of God and His Word….how faithful are we applying that law to ourselves. We who have good reason to recall that our Savior says that whomsoever is angry without cause against his brother is guilty of murder–and whoever has looked upon another with lust is guilty of adultery–how ardently have we applied THIS standard to our thought-lives?? LOL If we were applying those strictures, methinks we wouldn’t be online wading through GOSSIP columns for news of Irwin’s proffessions!!
So…I guess I’VE come to the conclusion that it’s entirely possible that Steve Irwin is saved (who then can be saved? With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible) Not because Steve was especially good (although imho he was) and not because he did SO much (though he did) but because I trust YHWH.
Laura,
Thanks for commenting.
Consider salvation of Steve Irwin, honestly I have no idea, and obviously you have done more research than I do. Indeed it is up to God and how Steve personally responded to the salvation in Jesus Christ.
I loved steve Irwin. However, the reality is he never did one thing to suggest he was a Christian. The word of God does not call us to judge, but It does say we will know them (christians) by their fruit, and in regards to steve i am not aware of any( if anyone is i would like to know). Yes, he was a great family man,etc, but that has nothing to do with salvation and being in christ. He said himself he was put on this planet for one reason and that reason had nothing to do with Jesus
However, i will continue to watch and enjoy what he has done for this planet.
This tragic event has hurt me deeply
Sadly missed by all who knew him
Drew
I have heard that steve did give his life to the Lord , gee i hope thats true. I guess ill find out one day. Maybe there is fruit
Drew
Yes, Steve Irwin did become a Christian as he gave his heart to the Lord 2 1/2 weeks prior to his death at a Sydney Christian Outreach church. This is not gossip but shows that God is in control in all circumstances. My heart goes out to Terry (who also professes a faith) as her faith will be truly tested over the coming months.
Steve was a superb guy from what I have seen and was a fantastic Australian. Although I am a New Zealander, I believe that he did Australia proud. I also believe that he must have been drawn close to God because of the close contact he had with animals. They are all God’s creation and are so beautifully crafted that it is so easy to see God’s hand in their creation.
One last thing is that along with Steve Irwin, was Peter Brock. They were both iconic Australians, both larger than life and died doing what they loved. I wonder how many people will be drawn to God as a result of these two deaths. They were both regarded as icons and held in awe by most New Zealanders (and of course Australians). But they were only men and as is written in psalm 103:15-16 (“As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more”). They weren’t to be worshipped for their achievements as they were mortal and subject to death like all men. It is God who we should worship and give thanks for the talents and abilities he gave to Peter Brock and Steve Irwin.
I hope to see Steve Irwin again in heaven, on the other side of eternity.
God Bless
Scott
Just like God doesn’t take pleasure in the death of anyone (Ez 18:32), I am not one to take pleasure in anyone’s death…
To stop the rumour from keep spreading further, however, I would like to post these two links here:
http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/4645
http://www.niphal.com/?p=276
They both have clarifications of the so-called conversion “news” of Steve Irwin.
I know Christians can sometimes be overjoyed and want to share good news (or even warning in emails etc) with people, but maybe, in this information age, it would be good to do a bit more search on the web to find out and clarify a “news”/”warning” before we start forwarding or spreading it on …
If you do appreciate Steve’s life though – please pray for his family…
I am a Christian and have been aching for Steve and his family, heart-broken that I had no evidence that he was a Christian. I have been searching the internet since his death like some people on this site, also to no avail. I know we can’t pray for the dead, they have to come to know Jesus before they die, so all I could do was pray for Terri and the kids that they would find Jesus in this. So, I am overjoyed to read about him maybe having made a commitment to Jesus before he died. Of course, with this being the internet I am a little suspicious because anybody can write anything. So, if anybody knows anymore about it or can confirm this, would you add a comment at this site. I would truly be so happy if this was true. I will never judge anybody because only God knows what happens in those last moments in somebody’s life…. Anyway, thanks for your comments. It is hard to find anything about Steve Irwin and Christianity….. but this is the most encouraging site I have found…. God bless you guys and may he bless Terri and the kids….
“So, if anybody knows anymore about it or can confirm this, would you add a comment at this site.”
Birgit, I did just that two hours before you posted your comment – maybe you missed it or you haven’t followed the links when posting your comment.
The first link I provided (http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/4645) is an article written by the organisation that received the original/first email on the news.
The second link provides an original document that Creation Ministries International sent to “R.R” (the sender of the (original/forwarded) email that started this whole thing).
If you (or anyone who is reading this) really want to know the truth, then please follow the two links above.
In response to Laura’s post. Steve Irwin was an incredibly admirable man, loved his family, honest and totally committed. but you keep mentioning Gods law written on his heart. Unfortunatly Gods law has absolutly nothing to do with salvation and where Steve will spend eternity. The conversation between Jesus and the criminal on the cross is all you need to know about how to be saved, the rest is just what Christians do out of adoration for God. The criminal asked Jesus to remember him when he entered his kingdom and without qualification or question Jesus responded that the guy would indeed spend eternity with him. Its as simple as repentance and forgivness, nothing more nothing less. I admired and liked Steve Irwin very much
Hi, I don’t want to burst anyone’s bubble but Steve was known for his evolutionary ideas and we should all know that evolution and creation do not mix. Only eternity will reveal whether Steve irwin trusted Christ as his Saviour or not.
True enough Evan, I heard him many times speak about evolution and the old Millions of years thing. Come and see me in 50 years and I will let you know.
The comments re Steve Irwins commitment are false as I live on the sunshine coast and know the chaplain who works at Australia Zoo and he has said there was no profession of faith from Steve. We heard rumours and evry week it was a different church. Terry herself has a faith but Steve didn’t, but he was still a good guy respected by many here. Terry, Bindy, Bob and family are the ones who really need prayer for wisdom from now on, not only dealing with the loss but how to go on. It would be incredibly difficult even walking around a complex with pictures of steve everywhere.
I pray that many will come to know Jesus as their Lord & Savior through this web site http://www.stephenirwin.com I pray for souls to be saved every day!
God bless you!
Mark Howard
Costa Mesa, California, USA
What about the unbelieving husband or wife being sanctified by the believer,any comments
It is with your mouth you confess and with your heart you believe, then you are saved (Romans 10:9-10)
we can’t believe for someone else. They have to confess him as Lord for themselves, they have to ask for forgiveness for themselves…
all this speculation is really pointless…He’s gone, and the healing must begin for Terri and the kids. If we are really concerned we should be praying for them. If Terri really is a believer than she will have the chance to be an awesome witness for the Lord as He strengthens her to go on and the world watches and says….”I want what she’s got” the peace that passes all understanding. God Bless
I too hope to see Steve in Heaven when I get there, I can only hope also that he may have sought God when he realised the seriousness of the tragic accident that was to take his life. I too had heard his comments on evolution and such, though I choose to believe that he displayed that view as to keep the peice with the scientists and non believers who dont know any better. My sorrow over Steves death has been slightly lessened today with the knowledge of Terri’s step of faith, I pray that that step is one of many and that she leads her precious children in the direction of our Lord and saviour also. My Love and Prayers go out to the whole Irwin family and all those around the world that were filled with sorrow over this tragedy. May each and every one be filled to overflowing with the precious love of Jesus.
GODZEALER