Derek Morphew > Quotes

“The reign of God is not a place but an event: God’s intervention or breakthrough in the affairs of men.[10]”
― Derek Morphew, Breakthrough: Discovering the Kingdom

“Whenever someone boasts of spiritual knowledge or revelations or deeper insight in a way which makes other people feel uncomfortable, somehow less spiritual or stupid, then we are dealing with Gnostic knowledge, not biblical knowledge.”
― Derek Morphew, The Spiritual Spider Web: A Study in Acient and Contemporary Gnosticism

“The Old Testament is the record of prophets. Jesus was a prophet. The New Testament is the record of apostles and prophets. The entire biblical revelation is prophetic. God speaks through word and deed, words explaining deeds, and deeds revealing words, so that words become deeds. The event of God speaking his word is an event as much as events in the purpose of God are words spoken by God. Word and deed come together in Jesus Christ. When he spoke, things happened. What he did was God speaking. He is the WordEvent of God’s revelation to man.”
― Derek Morphew, The Spiritual Spider Web: A Study in Acient and Contemporary Gnosticism

“Discussions about how God reveals himself to people have little meaning in a purely theoretical framework.”
― Derek Morphew, The Spiritual Spider Web: A Study in Acient and Contemporary Gnosticism

“Wherever you find a preacher who seems preoccupied with legalistic, ascetic ideas, you can be sure the temptation or practise of immorality is somewhere there below the surface.”
― Derek Morphew, The Spiritual Spider Web: A Study in Acient and Contemporary Gnosticism

“Through a Gnostic dualism between the body and the spirit it is possible to claim that one’s spirit is with God, in his light, while ones body can sin in the darkness. The body sins, but the spirit is without sin. John’s answer to this is forthright: you lie! God is light, and his light will expose all darkness. No such double life can stand his gaze.”
― Derek Morphew, The Spiritual Spider Web: A Study in Acient and Contemporary Gnosticism

“I have the clear impression that Paul is not only outGnosticising the Gnostics, not only turning their priorities upside down, but also engaging in a little sarcasm.”
― Derek Morphew, The Spiritual Spider Web: A Study in Acient and Contemporary Gnosticism