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
Galatians 4:4
"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,"
"“When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son.” Providence had directed the movements of nations, and the tide of human impulse and influence, until the world was ripe for the coming of the Deliverer. The nations were united under one government. One language was widely spoken, and was everywhere recognized as the language of literature. From all lands the Jews of the dispersion gathered to Jerusalem to the annual feasts. As these returned to the places of their sojourn, they could spread throughout the world the tidings of the Messiah's coming. DA 32.2"
EGW directly quotes Galatians 4:4, making this an explicit allusion. The surrounding context in DA 32.2 further elaborates on the 'fullness of time' mentioned in Galatians.
"The fullness of the time had come. Humanity, becoming more degraded through ages of transgression, called for the coming of the Redeemer. Satan had been working to make the gulf deep and impassable between earth and heaven. By his falsehoods he had emboldened men in sin. It was his purpose to wear out the forbearance of God, and to extinguish His love for man, so that He would abandon the world to satanic jurisdiction. DA 34.4"
EGW directly references the concept of the "fullness of time" and connects it to the coming of the Redeemer, which is the central theme of Galatians 4:4. The context is very similar.
"Man's need for a divine teacher was known in heaven. The pity and sympathy of God were aroused in behalf of human beings, fallen and bound to Satan's chariot car; and when the fullness of time was come, He sent forth His Son. The One appointed in the councils of heaven came to this earth as man's instructor. The rich benevolence of God gave Him to our world, and to meet the necessities of human nature He took humanity upon Himself. To the astonishment of the heavenly host the eternal Word came to this world as a helpless babe. Fully prepared, He left the royal courts and mysteriously allied Himself with fallen human beings. “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” John 1:14 . CT 259.2"
EGW directly quotes John 1:14 and alludes to Galatians 4:4. The passage clearly amplifies the biblical concept of God sending His Son.
Galatians 4:5
"To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."
"As John beholds the height, the depth, and the breadth of the Father's love toward our perishing race, he is filled with admiration and reverence. He cannot find suitable language to express this love, but he calls upon the world to behold it: “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” What a value this places upon man! Through transgression the sons of men became subjects of Satan. Through the infinite sacrifice of Christ, and faith in His name, the sons of Adam become the sons of God. By assuming human nature, Christ elevates humanity. Fallen men are granted another trial and are placed where, through connection with Christ, they may educate, improve, and elevate themselves, that they may indeed become worthy of the name sons of God.” 4T 563.2"
EGW's statement about the sons of Adam becoming the sons of God through Christ parallels the concept of adoption as sons in Galatians 4:5.
"Henceforth you are not your own; you are bought with a price. “Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold; ... but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” 1 Peter 1:18, 19 . Through this simple act of believing God, the Holy Spirit has begotten a new life in your heart. You are as a child born into the family of God, and He loves you as He loves His Son. SC 51.4"
Both passages discuss redemption and adoption as sons. EGW speaks of being born into the family of God, which aligns with the concept of adoption in Galatians 4:5.
Galatians 4:7
"Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."
There is a work for women that is even more important and elevating than the duties of the king upon his throne. They may mold the minds of their children and shape their characters so that they may be useful in this world and that they may become sons and daughters of God. Their time should be considered too valuable to be passed in the ballroom or in needless labor. There is enough necessary and important labor in this world of need and suffering without wasting precious moments for ornamentation or display. Daughters of the heavenly King, members of the royal family, will feel a burden of responsibility to attain to a higher life, that they may be brought into close connection with heaven and work in unison with the Redeemer of the world. Those who are engaged in this work will not be satisfied with the fashions and follies which absorb the mind and affections of women in these last days. If they are indeed the daughters of God they will be partakers of the divine nature. They will …
EGW's statement about women becoming "sons and daughters of God" echoes the sentiment in Galatians 4:7 about being sons and heirs of God through Christ, although it is not a direct quote or explicit allusion. The connection is thematic, focusing on the idea of being children of God.
Galatians 4:12
"Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all."
"Paul's manner of life while among the Galatians was such that he could afterward say, “I beseech you, be as I am.” Galatians 4:12 . His lips had been touched with a live coal from off the altar, and he was enabled to rise above bodily infirmities and to present Jesus as the sinner's only hope. Those who heard him knew that he had been with Jesus. Endued with power from on high, he was able to compare spiritual things with spiritual and to tear down the strongholds of Satan. Hearts were broken by his presentation of the love of God, as revealed in the sacrifice of His only-begotten Son, and many were led to inquire, What must I do to be saved? AA 208.2"
Ellen White directly references Galatians 4:12 in this passage.
Galatians 4:14
"And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus."
"As the warmhearted disciples eagerly flock around their father in the gospel, the whole company is brought to a standstill. The soldiers are impatient of delay, yet they have not the heart to interrupt this happy meeting; for they, too, have learned to respect and esteem their prisoner. In that worn, pain-stricken face, the disciples see reflected the image of Christ. They assure Paul that they have not forgotten him nor ceased to love him; that they are indebted to him for the joyful hope which animates their lives and gives them peace toward God. In the ardor of their love they would bear him upon their shoulders the whole way to the city, could they but have the privilege. AA 448.4"
The Galatians passage speaks of the Galatians receiving Paul as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. The EGW passage describes the disciples' respect and esteem for Paul, seeing the image of Christ reflected in his face. Both passages highlight the high regard in which Paul was held, making this a valid thematic parallel.
Galatians 4:16
"Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?"
"against it, and, like some others who have been reproved, took the position that persons had prejudiced my mind against his family, when the vision pointed out the same faults in them that I had repeatedly seen for ten years. He said that he believed the visions, but that I was influenced by others in writing them. 1T 234.2"
Both passages deal with the negative reaction to someone speaking the truth. The EGW passage describes someone reacting negatively to reproof, while Galatians 4:16 questions if telling the truth makes one an enemy. The connection is valid.
"3. Still others have rebelled against the testimonies. Some of these have responded in a faultfinding spirit. Some have shown bitterness, anger, and wrath, and in return for my toil and pains in writing the testimonies they have turned upon us to injure us all they could; while others have held me for hours in personal interviews to pour into my ears and my aching heart their complaints, murmurings, and self-justifications, perhaps appealing to their own sympathies with weeping, and losing sight of their own faults and sins. The influence of these things has been terrible upon me and has sometimes driven me nearly to distraction. That which has followed from the conduct of these unconsecrated, unthankful persons has cost me more suffering and has worn upon my courage and health ten times more than all the toil of writing the testimonies. 1T 631.1"
Both passages address the negative reaction one might face when speaking truth. Galatians 4:16 asks if Paul has become an enemy for telling the truth. The EGW passage describes how some people reacted with bitterness and anger to her testimonies, which she believed to be divinely inspired truths. The thematic parallel is the potential for truth-telling to be met with hostility.
Galatians 4:19
"My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,"
"“This will continue to be as long as time shall last. Any one who has been a close student of the Bible will see and understand the solemn position of those who are living in the closing scenes of this earth's history. They will feel their own inefficiency and weakness, and will make it their first business to have not merely a form of godliness, but a vital connection with God. They will not dare to rest until Christ is formed within, the hope of glory. Self will die; pride will be expelled from the soul, and they will have the meekness and gentleness of Christ.” [From an unpublished manuscript .] LS 431.1"
The phrase "Christ is formed within" is a direct allusion to Galatians 4:19, indicating a strong connection.
"News of apostasy in some of the churches of his planting caused him deep sorrow. He feared that his efforts in their behalf might prove to be in vain. Many a sleepless night was spent in prayer and earnest thought as he learned of the methods employed to counteract his work. As he had opportunity and as their condition demanded, he wrote to the churches, giving reproof, counsel, admonition, and encouragement. In these letters the apostle does not dwell on his own trials, yet there are occasional glimpses of his labors and sufferings in the cause of Christ. Stripes and imprisonment, cold and hunger and thirst, perils by land and by sea, in the city and in the wilderness, from his own countrymen, from the heathen, and from false brethren—all this he endured for the sake of the gospel. He was “defamed,” “reviled,” made “the offscouring of all things,” “perplexed,” “persecuted,” “troubled on every side,” “in jeopardy every hour,” “alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake.” AA 296.3"
Both passages express the deep concern and burden Paul felt for the spiritual well-being of the churches he established. Galatians 4:19 speaks of the pain of spiritual labor, which aligns with EGW's description of Paul's sorrow and sleepless nights.
Galatians 4:29
"But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now."
"time the 430 years began, when Abraham was seventy-five years old ( chapter 12:4 ), while the 400 years of the prophecy of Genesis 15:13 began thirty years later, when Abraham was 105 and his son Isaac five years old ( Chapter 21:5 ). At that time Ishmael, who “was born after the flesh persecuted him [Isaac] that was born after the Spirit” ( Galatians 4:29 ; Genesis 21:9-11 ), beginning a time of affliction of Abraham's seed which intermittently would be continued until the time of the Exodus. Isaac had not only troubles with his half brother Ishmael, but also with the Philistines ( Genesis 26:15, 20, 21 ); Jacob fled for his life from Esau ( Genesis 27:41-43 ), and later from Laban ( Genesis 31:21 ), and then was again in jeopardy from Esau ( Genesis 32:8 ); Joseph was sold into slavery by his brethren ( Genesis 37:28 ), and the children of Israel were oppressed by the Egyptians for many decades ( Exodus 1:14 ). PP 759.3"
Ellen White directly references Galatians 4:29 in this passage.