The usual narrative in thinking of salvation history goes something like this: God created the garden of Eden for human happiness but we broke the plan God had for the world with original sin. God came up with Plan B and sent Jesus to fix what we had broken and we now strive to re-enter God’s garden of delight. St. Paul in the letter to the Colossians suggests an alternative narrative. He wrote (perhaps quoting from an ancient hymn): “Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God … all things were created through him and for him.” In this narrative the whole point of creation is so that Jesus could come. Humanity is not inherently broken but created to share in the divinity of Christ.
