Friday, October 23, 2009
SKETCHES IN FAITH: LUTHER AND THE CHRISTIAN HOME
Luther was a man who wore his heart out on his sleeve. The sincerity of his convictions was obvious to everyone who met him. Therefore it was not only the truth Luther taught that had a great impact on the life of the church, but also the life he lived. Nowhere do we see greater evidence of this, perhaps, than in his home life.
Luther showed from the Bible that it wrong for the church to forbid the marriage of the clergy. He backed up his teaching by marrying a former nun, Katherine von Bora. We should not think, however, that Luther married simply to prove he believed what he taught. He married believing it was God's will for him to take a wife, and also with the determination to be the Christian husband and father God wanted him to be.
We get a glimpse into the heart of the man from his many letters to Katherine. In one letter, for example, he says to his beloved: "You have a man who loves you, Kate." His sincere commitment to "Lord Kate", as he affectionately called her, has become a model for pastors, as well as all husbands in general. How desperately today do we need homes where husbands strive, with God's help, to love their wives as Christ loved the Church.
As a father, Luther was firm, but it is his tenderness that really stands out. Luther knew it was his God-given responsibility to take the lead in the spiritual training of his children. In fact, Luther's catechism was written primarily as a tool for fathers to teach their children the Word of God.
The Luther home was not a perfect place. But it was a place where the Lord Jesus had the final word, a place where the Savior's love and forgiveness were applied whenever needed. May all our Christian homes be places where Jesus Christ is all in all.
