𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐥’𝐬 𝐀𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡

𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐥’𝐬 𝐀𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡

𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

Why did the Apostle Paul pen the majority of the New Testament letters? And why did both he and Peter emphasize household codes within these epistles? To answer these questions faithfully, one must recognize the unique apostolic calling entrusted to Paul—not only to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles but also to unveil the divine administration (οἰκονομία) of Christ’s Church. The central message of Paul’s epistles revolves around the establishment of local churches as communities shaped by God’s design. Far from being merely practical advice, Paul’s household instructions (Ephesians 5–6; Colossians 3–4; Titus 2; 1 Peter 2–3) are deeply theological and ecclesiological—rooted in Christ’s eternal plan to build His Church as a household of God.

Drawing from Jeff Reed’s First Principles of Community Life, particularly chapters on the Church as the “centerpiece” of Christ’s plan and as a “family of families,” this article explores Paul’s dual responsibility to preach the gospel and to reveal the household order of the Church. We also examine how Peter corroborates Paul’s ecclesial vision. These writings, affirmed by apostolic consensus, remain foundational for church life and governance today.

1.       𝑃𝑎𝑢𝑙’𝑠 𝐴𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑐 𝐶𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔: 𝑅𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑀𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐶ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑐ℎ

Paul’s unique commission was twofold: to preach Christ among the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; Galatians 1:15–16) and to disclose “the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God” (Ephesians 3:9). This administration—derived from the Greek oikonomia (“house-law”)—concerns not merely abstract theology, but the very structure and function of the Church.

According to Jeff Reed in The First Principles of Community Life, Paul’s ministry was not limited to evangelism. He was divinely tasked to bring to light Christ’s house order (Eph. 3:8–10), whereby the Church would display God’s manifold wisdom, not only to the world but even to the spiritual realms (Eph. 3:10). The Church, therefore, is not incidental or supplementary. It is God’s chosen instrument to fulfill His cosmic plan.

Paul wrote letters to churches to teach this divine administration—clarifying the Church's identity as God’s new humanity (Eph. 2:15) and as His household (Eph. 2:19). This ecclesiology was revolutionary, particularly in its inclusion of both Jews and Gentiles into “one new man” in Christ (Eph. 2:14–18).

2.       𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐶ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑐ℎ 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝐺𝑜𝑑: 𝐸𝑐𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝐹𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠

In 1 Timothy 3:14–15, Paul states plainly the reason for writing to Timothy:

“I am writing these things to you so that… you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.”

Here, Paul expresses that correct behavior in the local church—God’s household—is necessary not just for unity but for guarding the truth. As Jeff Reed notes, the local church is where the truth is protected, practiced, and propagated. Hence, Paul’s directives concerning leadership, teaching, familial relationships, and care for the vulnerable (1 Timothy 5; Titus 1–2) are not optional; they are essential components of God’s administration.

The church is to function as a “family of families,” each household contributing to the larger order and witness of the local body. As Vern Poythress rightly emphasizes, the structure of the church is modeled after the structure of a healthy family. The overseer (bishop/elder) must manage his own household well as a prerequisite for caring for God’s household (1 Timothy 3:4–5).

3.       𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐸𝑚𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠: 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑦 𝐿𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑂𝑢𝑡

In his letters, particularly Ephesians, Colossians, and Titus, Paul provides detailed instructions on how husbands, wives, parents, children, slaves, and masters are to live under the lordship of Christ. These household codes (Haustafeln) are more than social etiquette—they are a lived expression of God’s cosmic reconciliation plan.

Consider Ephesians 5:22–6:9. Paul connects marriage to Christ and the Church, parenting to divine discipline, and work relationships to heavenly reward. In Titus 2, Paul instructs older men, older women, young men, and slaves to live in such a way that the “word of God may not be reviled” and that opponents “may be put to shame” (Titus 2:5, 8). These codes serve a missional function—they reflect the beauty and order of Christ’s church to a watching world.

Peter echoes this in 1 Peter 2–3. Just as Paul does, Peter roots household behavior in theological truth. Submission, honor, and mutual respect within the home testify to God’s transforming power.

These codes, therefore, are not culture-bound relics but remain critical expressions of the Church’s order and witness. As Reed points out, “there is a relationship between the truth and household order… the local church is to be the pillar and support of the truth.”

4.       𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐸𝑚𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠: 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑦 𝐿𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑂𝑢𝑡

Some may question why Paul’s writings hold such authority in the New Testament. Yet even Peter, the apostle to the Jews, recognized Paul’s divine commission and affirmed the wisdom of his writings:

“…our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him… There are some things in them that are hard to understand… as they do the other Scriptures.”
(2 Peter 3:15–16)

This acknowledgment by Peter reveals that Paul’s letters were already being treated as authoritative Scripture. Moreover, it shows apostolic unity in the understanding that Paul was entrusted with a unique role in revealing Christ’s plan for the Church.

Rejecting Paul’s church order is not merely disagreeing with Paul; it is to reject what Christ revealed to His apostle. As Reed asserts, to deviate from Paul’s instructions is to build our own empires—not the Church Christ intended.

5.       𝑃𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝐼𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑇𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑦

Many contemporary models of church bypass or modify Paul’s instructions, treating them as outdated or culturally relative. However, if Christ revealed His administration for the Church to Paul, and if the Church is God’s central instrument for fulfilling His plan, then to ignore or revise Paul’s blueprints is to jeopardize the Church’s identity and mission.

David Hesselgrave reminds us: “The church is not an afterthought in the mind of God… If Christians are to love what their Lord loves, they must love the church—and the churches!” The implications are clear: discipleship, leadership, community life, and even personal sanctification must be grounded in Christ’s design as revealed through His apostles.

𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛: 𝑅𝑒𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐴𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑐 𝐹𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠

Paul wrote the majority of the New Testament letters because he was divinely appointed to reveal the blueprint of Christ’s Church. His emphasis on household codes flows from his vision of the Church as God’s household—a family of families ordered for godliness, witness, and preservation of the truth.

Peter affirmed this vision, and the early churches were built upon it. To remain faithful to Christ, the modern church must not merely admire the apostolic tradition but build upon it. Only then can we function as the “pillar and support of the truth” and reflect the manifold wisdom of God to the world and the unseen realms.

In following Paul, we follow Christ—not because Paul is supreme, but because Christ, in His divine wisdom, chose him to make His plan known. Let us then recover and rejoice in the household order of God’s Church, for in it, the beauty of the gospel finds its enduring home.

𝑆𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑆𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐹𝑢𝑟𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔:

• Jeff Reed, First Principles Series I: First Principles of Community Life
• David Hesselgrave, Planting Churches Cross-Culturally
• Michael Griffiths, What On Earth Are You Doing?
• Vern Poythress, The Church as a Family
• The Holy Bible (esp. Ephesians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, 1 Peter, Acts)