1) “I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord, since I have showed you kindness, that ye will also show kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true token: and that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death” (Josh. 2:12-13). “And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein...And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had” (Josh. 6:24-25).
This is the story of how Rahab the harlot and her household were saved when Joshua led the Israelites to destroy Jericho. She was willing to receive the Israelite spies and begged them to save her and her entire house from destruction. Joshua then fulfilled her wish. This also confirms that the family is the unit of God’s salvation.
1) “And as He came to the place, Jesus looked up and said to him, Zaccheus, hurry and come down; for today I must stay in your house. And he hurried and came down, and welcomed Him, rejoicing...And Jesus said to him, Today salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:5-6, 9).
This is the story of the salvation of Zaccheus the tax collector. In this story, what the Lord did was to stay in Zaccheus’s house, and what He said was that today salvation had come to this house. This is evidence that the family is the unit of the salvation brought in by the Lord.
1) “Send to Joppa and send for Simon who is surnamed Peter, who will speak words to you by which you shall be saved, you and all your household” (Acts 11:13-14). “And Cornelius was awaiting them, having called together his relatives and intimate friends” (Acts 10:24). “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those hearing the word” (Acts 10:44). “And he charged them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 10:48).
This is the story of the salvation of the household of Cornelius, who was a centurion in the Roman military, and of his intimate friends. This story also proves that a person’s entire family is the unit of the salvation applied by the Spirit upon men. Cornelius led not only his whole family but also his intimate friends to receive the Lord. This coincides with what was mentioned before, that is, that an entire Israelite household should share the Passover lamb with their neighbor.
1) “Lydia...who worshipped God, was listening, whose heart the Lord opened to give heed to the things spoken by Paul. And when she was baptized and her household...” (Acts 16:14-15).
The story of this female believer and her house believing in the Lord and being baptized is also an example of the family as the unit of the Lord’s salvation.
1) “And they spoke the word of God to him together with all those in his house. And taking them with him in that very hour of the night, he washed their stripes; and he was baptized immediately, he and all his household” (Acts 16:32-33).
The case of this jailer’s salvation bears an especially strong proof that the family is the unit of the Lord’s salvation.
Besides these cases, there is the house of the royal official in Cana (John 4:46, 53), the household of Crispus, the ruler of a synagogue in Corinth (Acts 18:8), and the household of Stephanas, another Corinthian believer (1 Cor. 1:16). The story of their salvation and of their entire households’ salvation proves that the family is the unit of the Lord’s salvation. This is a delightful matter in the heart of the sinner-loving God and is the Lord’s goal in accomplishing redemption. We must imitate the ancient saints in taking care of God’s heart’s desire to lead our whole family to salvation that the goal of the Lord’s redemption may be achieved.
1) “But as for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah” (Josh. 24:15).
This is Joshua’s last declaration to the children of Israel before his death, which not only indicates that he and his entire house are the object of God’s salvation but also reveals the result of God’s salvation with the family as a unit, that is, that he and his house will serve Jehovah. May this also become the desire of each one of us before God and our declaration to the whole universe.