More Thoughts on N.T. Wright

"Redemption doesn't mean scrapping what's there and starting again but rather liberating what has come to be enslaved." N.T Wright
In Gnostic thought, the soul longs to be taken out of the evil wickedness of the present world. The Gnostic would say that the 'ontological' is what truly matters. The earth is evil and the heaven is a good and righteous place. Following with this idea, our redemption would come with our death and exit to heaven. On the flip side of this, there are some which would proclaim that progress would make this present world a good place, a type of social justice. Recently, I feel there as a big push to this social justice and progress will lead the way to a global redemption. Surely, the past 150 years in the United States has emphasized the individualistic hard working model of progress that would bring about a better world. What we need is education, some would say. However, evil is still present. There is no peace in the Middle East. N.T. Wright says the answer of redemption comes to us as Paul writes in Colossians 1, where creation holds onto redemption. "[Redemption] is the remaking of creation, having dealt with the evil that is defacing and distorting it. And it is accomplished by the same God...through whom it was made in the first place."
With this knowledge, you can see, it changes things. I grew up thinking that I was to live a life good enough, and accept Christ to be MY God, repent and do good until I die so I can make it to heaven. I realize that this is a basic child like description which surely has its roots in sunday school, but how many of us live our life like it? How many of us hold on to our past and think to ourselves that me must change before we can be accepted in to our grace of God? Or how many followers of Christ when asked about a future hope in heaven, revert back to this Gnostic idea of heaven and death?
As you can tell, at least from my viewpoint, I think this has dramatic ramifications. N.T. Wright, makes one of these ramifications as being a bodily resurrection, he says, "Redemption doesn't mean scrapping what's there and starting again from a clean slate but rather liberating what has come to be enslaved." And because of the analysis of evil not as materiality but as rebellion, the slavery of humans and of the world does not consist in embodiment, redemption from which would mean the death of the body and the consequent release of the soul or spirit. The slavery consists, rather, in sin, redemption from which must ultimately involve not just goodness of soul or spirit but a newly embodied life."
In addition to this new reality of life in the midst of death, it should go without saying, the death and resurrection of Christ has drastically affected the way we live our life. It has drastic effects on the way we view our sin, our failures, and our evilness as a people. When we focus on the cross it is the act where creation is brought back into harmony with the wise creator, redemption.