Lutheranism unequivocally affirms the virginal conception and birth of Jesus Christ. The Augsburg Confession Article III states that the Son of God 'was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.' This is received as a necessary implication of the Incarnation and is taught in Luther's Small and Large Catechisms as part of the Apostles' Creed.

Luther personally retained the traditional title Theotokos (God-bearer or Mother of God) for Mary, insisting it protected the unity of Christ's person. He also personally accepted Mary's perpetual virginity, though this is not a confessional requirement in Lutheranism. Lutheran Mariology is more modest than Roman Catholic teaching — Mary is honored as the most blessed of women and as a model of faith, but does not share in mediation of salvation and is not an object of prayer in official Lutheran liturgy.