Luther understood that marriage and child-rearing take place in a world deeply marred by sin and death. He sees parenting as pleasing to God, a divine service for which sinners are “not worthy.” When Christians parent their children by faith in Christ, “God, with all his angels and creatures, is smiling.” Luther believed that the stresses of family life offer one of the best environments in which to cultivate Christian discipleship.

Martin Luther said parents should not merely lavish honors and possessions on their children but should “enrich their souls with the arts, with study, with sound literature,” and especially “in the fear of God.” If this is done diligently, fathers and mothers will find that they have “plenty of opportunity” to practice godliness and good works in their own households without running around looking for something to do. Luther strongly believed in education. He required that Katie study the Bible, though she sometimes felt that she knew enough; he had his children tutored by older students, and his sons studied law, theology, and medicine.

Luther used catechisms to encourage household piety. In the Small Catechism, Luther directed the head of the household to teach his family the meaning of the Lord’s Supper, how to begin and end each day in prayer, and how to give thanks to God at meals. He also included a list of Scripture verses relevant to different kinds of people, including husbands (Col. 3:19; 1 Peter 3:7), wives (1 Peter 3:1, 6), parents (Eph. 6:4), and children (Eph. 6:1–3). Luther wanted to shift the focus of spirituality from the monastery to the home, turning each family into a house of prayer with every member instructed by the Word of Christ. In the preface to his Large Catechism, he wrote, “It is the duty of every head of household at least once a week to examine the children one after another” in their knowledge. They should be required to recite the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer every day “when they arise in the morning, when they go their meals, and when they go to bed at night.”

Luther said loving one’s children requires a regular use of “the rod and discipline” because of the foolishness of a child’s heart (Prov. 3:11; 23:13). Luther believed in corporal discipline, but a restrained and merciful use of it. Luther said: “One shouldn’t whip children too hard. My father once whipped me so severely that I ran away from him, and he was worried that he might not win me back again. I wouldn’t like to strike my little Hans [almost six years old at the time] very much, lest he should become shy and hate me.” Luther reminded his hearers that though God chastises His children, He is quick to rescue and raise up those who run to Him. Discipline must be joined with kindness: “One must punish in such a way that the rod is accompanied by the apple.” He warned that a harsh and stern father “makes his children either dispirited or hopeless,” and said, “Praise and punishment belong together.”

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