Skip to content ↓

Happy 487th Anniversary, Luthers!

Resources Collection cover image

It was on this day in 1525 that former monk Martin Luther married former nun Katharina von Bora. Luther was 41 and Katharina 26. Their marriage was very significant and made a statement nearly as important as Luther’s famous “Here I stand” at the Diet of Worms. It stood as a bold display of a biblical understanding of marriage that directly opposed the teaching of the Catholic church.

The Catholic church held (and still holds) that monks, priests, and nuns may not marry so that they can give themselves entirely to the Church. By marrying, Luther demonstrated his rejection of this view and modeled what the New Testament assumes—that church leaders could, and for the most part should be married (1 Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6). The Luther’s union was a declaration of the sacredness and inherent goodness of marriage and sex.

There are a lot of good sources for reading more about the development of Martin and Katharina’s love and the success and influence of their marriage. One of the more recent and accessible accounts is Justin Taylor’s chapter in Sex and the Supremacy of Christ titled “Martin Luther’s Reform of Marriage.” (You can download the book via the Desiring God website, or purchase it from Amazon or Westminster Books). Justin also wrote a five-part blog series for the Resurgence based largely on the content of the chapter.

For a general biography of Luther that includes information about his family life, I recommend Roland Bainton’s Here I Stand, still the go-to volume on Luther.


  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (June 18)

    A La Carte: Self-righteous prosecutors / Honoring God with your body / Baptism before Communion / David and Jonathan / Why is God male? / A ministry we shouldn’t want / Book deals / and more.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (June 17)

    A La Carte: Don’t tolerate secret sin / Stability in a world of chaos / Advice to a young father / Marriage yields compound interest / Diabolus Ex Machina / Gifts guaranteed in prayer / and more.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (June 16)

    A La Carte: The freedom of being fully seen / Churchiness is back / Man-made marvels / Michael Tait’s confession / Church membership is inescapable / Rebaptism / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Right Place to Worship

    Where Is the Right Place to Worship?

    A woman from Samaria was once conversing with Jesus and puzzling over the answer to an age-old question: Where is the right place to worship? After all, the Jews and Samaritans worshipped in different places, each convinced theirs was the right and best place. But Jesus answered in a way neither Jew nor Samaritan would…