Abstract: In his table-talk at the beginning of the 1530s, Luther illustrated the relation between God and humankind by his own experience as a father: like the father (or the mother) who loves his (or her) children despite their defilements, God is gracious towards the sinner. The absolute confidence which young children place in their father is the image of faith. As for the behaviour of older children, who both “love” and “fear” God, this conforms to what Luther expects of them in his Small Catechism.
