EGW → Biblical Foundation
Select an Ellen White book from the sidebar to see each passage mapped to the Bible verses it amplifies, cites, or echoes.
Scripture Index
Ellen White & Bible Cross-Reference
1 Corinthians 7:2
"Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband."
The corrupting doctrine which has prevailed, that, as viewed from a health standpoint, the sexes must mingle together, has done its mischievous work. When parents and guardians manifest one tithe of the shrewdness which Satan possesses, then can this association of sexes be nearer harmless. As it is, Satan is most successful in his effort to bewitch the minds of the youth; and the mingling of boys and girls only increases the evil twentyfold. Let boys and girls be kept employed in useful labor. If they are tired, they will have less inclination to corrupt their own bodies. There is nothing to be hoped for in the case of the young, unless there is an entire change in the minds of those who are older. Vice is stamped upon the features of boys and girls, and yet what is done to stay the progress of this evil? Boys and young men are allowed and encouraged to take liberties by immodest advances of girls and young women. May God arouse fathers and mothers to work earnestly to change this ter…
Both passages address the issue of sexual immorality. 1 Corinthians 7:2 suggests marriage as a way to avoid fornication. The EGW passage discusses the corrupting influence of inappropriate mingling of the sexes and the need to avoid it. While not a direct principle, there is a thematic parallel in addressing sexual purity.
1 Corinthians 7:3-5
"Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency."
Infirmities and disease especially affect women. The happiness of the family depends much upon the wife and mother. If she is weak and nervous, and is suffered to be overtaxed with labor, the mind becomes depressed, for it sympathizes with the weariness of the body; and then she too often meets with cold reserve from the husband. If everything does not move off just as pleasantly as he could wish, he blames the wife and mother. He is almost wholly unacquainted with her cares and burdens, and does not always know how to sympathize with her. He does not realize that he is aiding the great enemy in his work of tearing down. He should by faith in God lift up a standard against Satan; but he seems blinded to his own interest and hers. He treats her with indifference. He knows not what he is doing. He is working directly against his own happiness and is destroying the happiness of his family. The wife becomes desponding and discouraged. Hope and cheerfulness are gone. She goes her daily roun…
Both passages address the importance of mutual respect and consideration within marriage. The EGW passage highlights the husband's lack of understanding and support, while 1 Corinthians 7:3-5 emphasizes the need for both husband and wife to fulfill their marital duties and avoid creating opportunities for temptation. The connection lies in the shared theme of marital harmony and the potential for problems when this harmony is disrupted.
1 Corinthians 7:17
"But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches."
"There are many who are not satisfied to serve God cheerfully in the place that He has marked out for them, or to do uncomplainingly the work that He has placed in their hands. It is right to be dissatisfied with the way in which we perform duty, but we are not to be dissatisfied with the duty itself because we would rather do something else. In His providence God places before human beings service that will be as medicine to their diseased minds. Thus He seeks to lead them to put aside the selfish preference, which, if gratified, would disqualify them for the work He has for them. If they accept and perform this service, their minds will be cured. If they refuse it, they will be left at strife with themselves and others. GW 270.1"
Both passages emphasize the importance of accepting and fulfilling the duties and roles that God has assigned, even if they are not what one would personally choose. The EGW passage elaborates on the idea of service as 'medicine' for the mind, while 1 Corinthians 7:17 encourages everyone to walk according to their calling.
"But those who have not a large endowment of gifts need not become discouraged. Let them use what they have, faithfully guarding every weak point in their characters, seeking by divine grace to make it strong. Into every action of life we are to weave faithfulness and loyalty, cultivating the attributes that will enable us to accomplish the work. COL 358.3"
Both passages emphasize the importance of using the gifts and abilities that God has given to each individual. EGW focuses on faithfulness and personal growth, while 1 Corinthians 7:17 emphasizes walking according to God's calling.
"“Some have supposed that the very pattern given was the pattern that all were to adopt. This is not so. But something as simple as this would be the best we could adopt under the circumstances. No one precise style has been given me as the exact rule to guide all in their dress.”—E. G. White Letter 19, 1897 . Quoted in The Story of Our Health Message, 442 . 1T 718.1"
Both passages emphasize the importance of individual application of general principles. Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 7:17 encourages individuals to live according to their calling, while EGW's statement clarifies that a specific dress pattern is not universally mandated. The parallel lies in the idea that uniformity is not necessarily the goal, but rather adherence to underlying principles within individual circumstances.
"Training for Service This object should ever be kept in view by Christian parents and teachers. We know not in what line our children may serve. They may spend their lives within the circle of the home; they may engage in life's common vocations, or go as teachers of the gospel to heathen lands; but all are alike called to be missionaries for God, ministers of mercy to the world. MH 395"
Both passages discuss the idea of individuals fulfilling their God-given calling. However, the EGW passage focuses on training children for service, while the verse from 1 Corinthians emphasizes accepting one's current role. The connection is thematic, but not a direct principle.
1 Corinthians 7:20
"Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called."
"Our duty to act as missionaries for God in the very position where He has placed us has been greatly overlooked by us as a people. Many are eagerly turning from present duties and opportunities to some wider field; many imagine that in some other position they would find it less difficult to obey the truth. Our larger churches are looked upon as enjoying great advantages, and there is among our people a growing tendency to leave their special post of duty and move to Battle Creek or to the vicinity of some other large church. This practice not only threatens the prosperity and even the life of our smaller churches, but it is preventing us from doing the very work which God has given us to do, and is destroying our spirituality and usefulness as a people. 5T 184.4"
EGW's statement about remaining in one's current position of service directly reflects the principle expressed in 1 Corinthians 7:20.
"calling. 1T 471.1"
The EGW passage directly uses the word 'calling' in a way that echoes the sentiment of 1 Corinthians 7:20, which encourages individuals to remain in the state or 'calling' they were in when they were called by God. While brief, the connection is direct and meaningful.
"God had directed John the Baptist to dwell in the wilderness, that he might be shielded from the influence of the priests and rabbis, and be prepared for a special mission. But the austerity and isolation of his life were not an example for the people. John himself had not directed his hearers to forsake their former duties. He bade them give evidence of their repentance by faithfulness to God in the place where He had called them. DA 150.4"
The EGW passage, in discussing John the Baptist and his message, directly echoes the principle found in 1 Corinthians 7:20, which encourages individuals to remain faithful in their current calling. EGW uses John as an example of someone who called people to faithfulness in their current situation.
"Because they are not connected with some directly religious work, many feel that their lives are useless, that they are doing nothing for the advancement of God's kingdom. If they could do some great thing how gladly they would undertake it! But because they can serve only in little things, they think themselves justified in doing nothing. In this they err. A man may be in the active service of God while engaged in the ordinary, everyday duties—while felling trees, clearing the ground, or following the plow. The mother who trains her children for Christ is as truly working for God as is the minister in the pulpit. PK 219.1"
The EGW passage directly echoes the sentiment of 1 Corinthians 7:20, emphasizing the importance of faithfulness in one's current calling, regardless of its perceived significance. It's more than a thematic parallel; it's a direct application of the principle.
"None of us should be ashamed of work, however small and servile it may appear. Labor is ennobling. All who toil with head or hands are workingmen or workingwomen. And all are doing their duty and honoring their religion as much while working at the washtub or washing the dishes as they are in going to meeting. While the hands are engaged in the most common labor, the mind may be elevated and ennobled by pure and holy thoughts. When any of the workers manifest a lack of respect for religious things, they should be separated from the work. Let none feel that the institution is dependent upon them. 4T 590.2"
Both passages address the importance of fulfilling one's current role or calling, regardless of its perceived status. While not a direct quote, the underlying principle is consistent.
"The lesson is one needed by many. Talent is too much idolized, and station too much coveted. There are too many who will do nothing unless they are recognized as leaders; too many who must receive praise, or they have no interest to labor. What we need to learn is faithfulness in making the utmost use of the powers and opportunities we have, and contentment in the lot to which Heaven assigns us. Ed 117.1"
Both passages address contentment and fulfilling one's role. The EGW passage expands on the idea of being content with one's assigned 'lot' or 'calling,' echoing the sentiment in 1 Corinthians 7:20.
"and unhonored. He was as faithfully fulfilling His mission while working at His humble trade as when He healed the sick or walked upon the storm-tossed waves of Galilee. So in the humblest duties and lowliest positions of life, we may walk and work with Jesus. SC 81.4"
The EGW quote encourages fulfilling one's mission in whatever circumstances they find themselves, which aligns with the principle in 1 Corinthians 7:20 to abide in the calling wherein one was called.
"Many long for special talent with which to do a wonderful work, while the duties lying close at hand, the performance of which would make the life fragrant, are lost sight of. Let such ones take up the duties lying directly in their pathway. Success depends not so much on talent as on energy and willingness. It is not the possession of splendid talents that enables us to render acceptable service, but the conscientious performance of daily duties, the contented spirit, the unaffected, sincere interest in the welfare of others. In the humblest lot true excellence may be found. The commonest tasks, wrought with loving faithfulness, are beautiful in God's sight. PK 219.2"
Both passages emphasize faithfulness in one's current situation or calling. However, the connection is somewhat general, as many scriptures touch on this theme.
1 Corinthians 7:23
"Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men."
"have been increasing, and we are yet to be brought into strait places. But God will sustain His people in being firm and living up to the principles of His word. When the laws of men conflict with the word and law of God, we are to obey the latter, whatever the consequences may be. The law of our land requiring us to deliver a slave to his master, we are not to obey; and we must abide the consequences of violating this law. The slave is not the property of any man. God is his rightful master, and man has no right to take God's workmanship into his hands, and claim him as his own. 1T 201.2"
The EGW passage argues that a slave is not the property of any man, but belongs to God. This echoes the sentiment in 1 Corinthians 7:23 that believers are bought with a price and should not be servants of men in the sense of being owned by them. Both passages emphasize God's ownership over humanity.
"I saw that my husband and myself could not receive as much benefit there as could those of different experience and faith. Said the angel: “God has not designed that the mind of His servant, whom He has chosen for a special purpose, to do a special work, should be controlled by any living man, for that is His prerogative alone.” Angels of God kept us while we were at ——. They were round about us, sustaining us every hour. But the time came when we could not benefit nor be benefited, and then the cloud of light, which had rested with us there, moved away, and we could find rest only in leaving there and going among the brethren in Rochester, where the cloud of light rested. 1T 616.1"
The EGW passage emphasizes that God's chosen servants should not be controlled by any living man, as that is God's prerogative alone. This aligns with the principle in 1 Corinthians 7:23, which urges believers not to become servants of men, as they have been bought with a price. The confidence is slightly decreased as the connection is not a direct quote but a principle.
1 Corinthians 7:24
"Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God."
"The apostle says, “Let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.” 1 Corinthians 7:24 . The businessman may conduct his business in a way that will glorify his Master because of his fidelity. If he is a true follower of Christ he will carry his religion into everything that is done and reveal to men the spirit of Christ. The mechanic may be a diligent and faithful representative of Him who toiled in the lowly walks of life among the hills of Galilee. Everyone who names the name of Christ should so work that others, by seeing his good works, may be led to glorify their Creator and Redeemer. SC 82.1"
Ellen White directly references 1 Corinthians 7:24 in this passage.
"God.” Isaiah 54:13 ; 1 Corinthians 7:24 . COL 26.1"
Ellen White directly references 1 Corinthians 7:24 in this passage.
"Though I was very young, the plan of salvation was so clear to my mind, and my personal experience had been so marked, that, upon considering the matter, I knew it was my duty to continue my efforts for the salvation of precious souls, and to pray and confess Christ at every opportunity. My entire being was offered to the service of my Master. Let come what would, I determined to please God, and live as one who expected the Saviour to come and reward the faithful. I felt like a little child coming to God as to my father, and asking Him what He would have me to do. Then as my duty was made plain to me, it was my greatest happiness to perform it. Peculiar trials sometimes beset me. Those older in experience than myself endeavored to hold me back and cool the ardor of my faith; but with the smiles of Jesus brightening my life, and the love of God in my heart, I went on my way with a joyful spirit. LS 42.2"
EGW's determination to please God and live as one expecting the Savior's return reflects the principle of abiding with God in one's calling, as stated in 1 Corinthians 7:24. Both passages emphasize faithfulness and commitment to God's will within one's current circumstances.
"As God called Daniel to witness for Him in Babylon, so He calls us to be His witnesses in the world today. In the smallest as well as the largest affairs of life, He desires us to reveal to men the principles of His kingdom. Many are waiting for some great work to be brought to them, while daily they lose opportunities for revealing faithfulness to God. Daily they fail of discharging with wholeheartedness the little duties of life. While they wait for some large work in which they may exercise supposedly great talents, and thus satisfy their ambitious longings, their days pass away. PK 487.3"
Both passages encourage individuals to remain faithful in their current calling and not seek something else.
1 Corinthians 7:29
"But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;"
"We have no time to lose. We know not how soon our probation may close. Eternity stretches before us. The curtain is about to be lifted. Christ is soon to come. The angels of God are seeking to attract us from ourselves and from earthly things. Let them not labor in vain. 8T 314.3"
Both passages emphasize the shortness of time and the need for urgency in spiritual matters. EGW's statement about 'no time to lose' and 'eternity stretches before us' aligns with Paul's assertion that 'the time is short'.
1 Corinthians 7:31
"And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away."
God's people should be governed by higher principles than worldlings, who seek to gauge all their course of action according to fashion. God-fearing parents should train their children for a life of usefulness. They should not permit their principles of government to be tainted with the extravagant notions prevailing in this age, that they must conform to the fashions and be governed by the opinions of worldlings. They should not permit their children to choose their own associates. Teach them that it is your duty to choose for them. Prepare them to bear burdens while young. If your children have been unaccustomed to labor, they will soon become weary. They will complain of side ache, pain in the shoulders, and tired limbs; and you will be in danger, through sympathy, of doing the work yourselves, rather than have them suffer a little. Let the burden upon the children be very light at first, and then increase it a little every day, until they can do a proper amount of labor without bec…
Both passages address the fleeting nature of worldly fashions and the need to prioritize higher principles. EGW's passage specifically criticizes conforming to worldly fashions, while 1 Corinthians 7:31 warns against abusing the world because its fashion is passing away.
"I saw that our holidays should not be spent in patterning after the world, yet they should not be passed by unnoticed, for this will bring dissatisfaction to our children. On these days when there is danger that our children will be exposed to evil influences, and become corrupted by the pleasures and excitement of the world, let the parents study to get up something to take the place of more dangerous amusements. Give your children to understand that you have their good and happiness in view. 1T 514.2"
Both passages address the idea of not being consumed by the world. EGW advises against patterning holidays after the world, while 1 Corinthians 7:31 encourages using the world without abusing it. The connection is thematic, focusing on a balanced approach to worldly things.
1 Corinthians 7:33
"But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife."
I saw the wives of the ministers. Some of them are no help to their husbands, yet they profess the third angel's message. They think more of studying their own wishes and pleasure than the will of God, or how they can hold up the hands of their husbands by their faithful prayers and careful walk. I saw that some of them take so willful and selfish a course that Satan makes them his instruments and works through them to destroy the influence and usefulness of their husbands. They feel at liberty to complain and murmur if they are brought through any strait places. They forget the sufferings of the ancient Christians for the truth's sake and think that they must have their wishes and way, and follow their own will. They forget the suffering of Jesus, their Master. They forget the Man of Sorrows, who was acquainted with grief—He who had not where to lay His head. They do not care to remember that holy brow, pierced with a crown of thorns. They forget Him, who, bearing His own cross to Cal…
The EGW passage criticizes minister's wives who prioritize their own desires over supporting their husbands and serving God. 1 Corinthians 7:33 speaks of the married man's concern for pleasing his wife. While not a direct parallel, there's a thematic overlap in the potential conflict between personal desires and spiritual duties within marriage.
1 Corinthians 7:35
"And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction."
"Seclusion The incessant reading and writing of many ministers unfits them for pastoral work. They consume valuable time in abstract study, which should be expended in helping the needy at the right moment. Some ministers have given themselves to the work of writing during a period of decided religious interest, and sometimes these writings have had no special connection with the work in hand. At such times it is the duty of the minister to use his entire strength in pushing forward the present interest. His mind should be clear, and centered upon the one object of saving souls. Should his thoughts be preoccupied with other subjects, many might be lost to the cause who could have been saved by timely instruction. GW 337"
Both passages discuss the importance of focusing on the Lord's work without distraction. The EGW passage applies this to ministers and their duties, while the verse in 1 Corinthians speaks more generally about attending to the Lord.
1 Corinthians 7:39
"The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord."
"Under such guidance let a young woman accept as a life companion only one who possesses pure, manly traits of character, one who is diligent, aspiring, and honest, one who loves and fears God. Let a young man seek one to stand by his side who is fitted to bear her share of life's burdens, one whose influence will ennoble and refine him, and who will make him happy in her love. MH 359.3"
Both passages discuss choosing a spouse with a focus on spiritual compatibility. While 1 Corinthians 7:39 focuses on remarriage and marrying 'in the Lord,' the EGW passage expands on the qualities to seek in a godly partner, amplifying the principle of spiritual alignment in marriage.
"The choice of a life companion should be such as best to secure physical, mental, and spiritual well-being for parents and for their children—such as will enable both parents and children to bless their fellow men and to honor their Creator. MH 357.2"
Both passages address the importance of choosing a spouse wisely. While 1 Corinthians 7:39 focuses on marrying 'only in the Lord,' EGW broadens the scope to include physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, which aligns with the principle of seeking God's will in marriage.