Hi Antikathistas,
I wonder if you would care to substantiate that statement that God has usually saved people in lines of generations? It does not seem to ring very true in the Scriptures. The children of Eli (1Sam 2:12), Samuel (1Sam 8:3), David (2Sam 13), Jehoshaphat (2Kings 8:16-18), Hezekiah (2Chron 33:2), Josiah (2Chron 36:5) do not seem to have inherited their fathers' piety.

Nor did it hold true in Geneva after the Reformation. In the mid-18th Century, the French philosopher, Rouseau wrote;

'It is asked of the ministers of the church of Geneva if Jesus Christ be God. They dare not answer. It is asked if He were a mere man. They are embarrassed and will not say they think so. ....... Oh! Genevans, these Gentlemen, your ministers, in truth are very singular people! They do not know what they believe, or what they do not believe. They do not even know what they would wish to appear to believe. Their only manner of establishing their faith is, to attack the faith of others.' (sounds a bit like the Church of England today! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />)

And who is it who is reputed to have been the first to have endorsed Unitarianism in Geneva? None other than the son of the great Francis Turretine, when he was Professor of Theology. Not much sign of 'generational salvation' there either!

Reference household baptisms, my wife and I were converted at much the same time and were (re-)baptized together. Had our children been a little older they might have been converted and baptized with us. In times of revival it has not been uncommon for whole families to be converted within just a few days of each other. The 1st Century AD was nothing if not a revival.

Blessings to all,
Steve

Last edited by grace2U; Sat Apr 17, 2004 5:14 PM.