The Theological Metanarrative of Paul’s Thought in Ephesians
Sarah Galade
NBST520: New Testament Orientation II
February 15, 2026
, 1
It is important to remember that Paul was a missionary and a pastor, focused on the
individual needs of the churches to which he wrote and the spiritual and theological problems
each community faced. As Dr. Stacy remarks, “The churches Paul established on pagan soil had
experiences for which there were no texts and problems for which there were no precedents.”1
With Paul as their introduction into the faith and no Jewish background for context, the churches
Paul established wrote to him when they encountered problems or had questions. Because Paul’s
theology was not systematic, but rather pastoral, situational, and contextual, when reading his
epistles vertically, one might find them lacking in coherency or perhaps even contradictory to
one another.2 However, when examining the structure and themes in each letter, there is a
metanarrative denoting theological coherency in the pastoral contingency of Paul’s writings. 3
A metanarrative is the deeper story behind and beyond the original plot. As Dr. Stacy
describes metanarrative, “there’s more here than meets the eye.”4 Within Paul’s letters, one can
see the development of three distinct theological metanarratives: soteriology, Christology, and
eschatology. Put in simpler terms, these are: Paul’s doctrine of salvation, Paul’s view of Jesus,
and Paul’s belief in the apocalyptic dualism of the two ages, respectively.
The central theological metanarrative that fits best in Ephesians is eschatological. Ellwell
and Yarbrough write, “Paul’s eschatology grows out of his convictions about God in general and
Jesus Christ in particular.”5 In this epistle, Paul argues that through Christ’s death (descension)
1
Robert Wayne Stacy, “Paul’s Letter Writing Ministry”
2
Robert Wayne Stacy, “The Theological Metanarrative of Paul’s Thought,”
3
Stacy, “The Theological Metanarrative”
4
Ibid.,
5
Walter A. Elwell and Robert W. Yarbrough, Encountering the New Testament: A Historical and
Theological Survey, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2022), 253.
Sarah Galade
NBST520: New Testament Orientation II
February 15, 2026
, 1
It is important to remember that Paul was a missionary and a pastor, focused on the
individual needs of the churches to which he wrote and the spiritual and theological problems
each community faced. As Dr. Stacy remarks, “The churches Paul established on pagan soil had
experiences for which there were no texts and problems for which there were no precedents.”1
With Paul as their introduction into the faith and no Jewish background for context, the churches
Paul established wrote to him when they encountered problems or had questions. Because Paul’s
theology was not systematic, but rather pastoral, situational, and contextual, when reading his
epistles vertically, one might find them lacking in coherency or perhaps even contradictory to
one another.2 However, when examining the structure and themes in each letter, there is a
metanarrative denoting theological coherency in the pastoral contingency of Paul’s writings. 3
A metanarrative is the deeper story behind and beyond the original plot. As Dr. Stacy
describes metanarrative, “there’s more here than meets the eye.”4 Within Paul’s letters, one can
see the development of three distinct theological metanarratives: soteriology, Christology, and
eschatology. Put in simpler terms, these are: Paul’s doctrine of salvation, Paul’s view of Jesus,
and Paul’s belief in the apocalyptic dualism of the two ages, respectively.
The central theological metanarrative that fits best in Ephesians is eschatological. Ellwell
and Yarbrough write, “Paul’s eschatology grows out of his convictions about God in general and
Jesus Christ in particular.”5 In this epistle, Paul argues that through Christ’s death (descension)
1
Robert Wayne Stacy, “Paul’s Letter Writing Ministry”
2
Robert Wayne Stacy, “The Theological Metanarrative of Paul’s Thought,”
3
Stacy, “The Theological Metanarrative”
4
Ibid.,
5
Walter A. Elwell and Robert W. Yarbrough, Encountering the New Testament: A Historical and
Theological Survey, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2022), 253.
