"This solemn charge to one so zealous and faithful as was Timothy is a strong testimony to the importance and responsibility of the work of the gospel minister. Summoning Timothy before the bar of God, Paul bids him preach the word, not the sayings and customs of men; to be ready to witness for God whenever opportunity should present itself—before large congregations and private circles, by the way and at the fireside, to friends and to enemies, whether in safety or exposed to hardship and peril, reproach and loss. AA 503.1"
"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine."
The EGW passage directly references and expands upon 2 Timothy 4:2.
"Christ, explaining and enforcing his reproofs by the truths of the word. AA 503.2"
"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth."
The EGW passage speaks of Christ using the truths of the word, while John 17:17 states that God's word is truth. The connection is that Christ uses truth (the word) to reprove, which aligns with the concept of sanctification through truth.
"To hate and reprove sin, and at the same time to show pity and tenderness for the sinner, is a difficult attainment. The more earnest our own efforts to attain to holiness of heart and life, the more acute will be our perception of sin and the more decided our disapproval of any deviation from the right. We must guard against undue severity toward the wrongdoer, but we must also be careful not to lose sight of the exceeding sinfulness of sin. There is need of showing Christlike patience and love for the erring one, but there is also danger of showing so great toleration for his error that he will look upon himself as undeserving of reproof, and will reject it as uncalled for and unjust. AA 503.3"
"And of some have compassion, making a difference:"
Both passages address the need for compassion and discernment when dealing with sinners. Jude 1:22 speaks of 'making a difference' in how we show compassion, while the EGW passage elaborates on the balance between reproving sin and showing pity, highlighting the difficulty of this balance.