"John was filled with sadness as he saw these poisonous errors creeping into the church. He saw the dangers to which the church was exposed, and he met the emergency with promptness and decision. The epistles of John breathe the spirit of love. It seems as if he wrote with a pen dipped in love. But when he came in contact with those who were breaking the law of God, yet claiming that they were living without sin, he did not hesitate to warn them of their fearful deception. AA 554.1"
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."
Both passages address the need to discern true from false teachers and spirits. EGW focuses on John's response to those claiming to be without sin while breaking God's law, while 1 John 4:1 urges believers to test the spirits.
"Writing to a helper in the gospel work, a woman of good repute and wide influence, he said: “Many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him Godspeed: for he that biddeth him Godspeed is partaker of his evil deeds.” AA 554.2"
"For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds."
The EGW passage directly quotes 2 John 1:7-11, making it a clear and explicit allusion.
"We are authorized to hold in the same estimation as did the beloved disciple those who claim to abide in Christ while living in transgression of God's law. There exist in these last days evils similar to those that threatened the prosperity of the early church; and the teachings of the apostle John on these points should be carefully heeded. “You must have charity,” is the cry heard everywhere, especially from those who profess sanctification. But true charity is too pure to cover an unconfessed sin. While we are to love the souls for whom Christ died, we are to make no compromise with evil. We are not to unite with the rebellious and call this charity. God requires His people in this age of the world to stand for the right as unflinchingly as did John in opposition to soul-destroying errors. AA 554.3"
"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
The EGW passage directly echoes the principle in 1 John 2:4, which states that claiming to know God while disobeying His commandments is a lie. EGW applies this principle to those who claim to abide in Christ while transgressing God's law.
"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?"
Both passages address the hypocrisy of claiming to love God while acting in ways that contradict that love. EGW focuses on compromising with evil, while 1 John focuses on hating one's brother. The connection is thematic, as both highlight the importance of actions aligning with professed beliefs.