"These souls whom you despise, said Jesus, are the property of God. By creation and by redemption they are His, and they are of value in His sight. As the shepherd loves his sheep, and cannot rest if even one be missing, so, in an infinitely higher degree, does God love every outcast soul. Men may deny the claim of His love, they may wander from Him, they may choose another master; yet they are God's, and He longs to recover His own. He says, “As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out My sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.” Ezekiel 34:12 . COL 187.1"
"As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day."
The EGW passage directly quotes Ezekiel 34:12 and uses it to support the idea of God's love for and pursuit of lost souls.
"How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish."
The EGW quote directly references the parable of the lost sheep and its underlying principle of God's love for every soul, even the one that strays. The connection is strong and explicit.
"For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s."
While 1 Corinthians 6:20 speaks of being bought with a price, the EGW quote focuses on God's ownership through creation and redemption, and His longing to recover His own. The connection is thematic, revolving around ownership and value, but not a direct principle.
"In the parable the shepherd goes out to search for one sheep—the very least that can be numbered. So if there had been but one lost soul, Christ would have died for that one. COL 187.2"
"How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish."
EGW directly alludes to the parable of the lost sheep in Matthew 18:12-14, drawing a parallel between the shepherd's search for the one lost sheep and Christ's willingness to die for even a single soul.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
The EGW quote emphasizes Christ's willingness to die for even one lost soul, which aligns with the core message of John 3:16 regarding God's love for the world and His giving of His Son. The connection is thematic, focusing on God's love and sacrifice for humanity.
"The sheep that has strayed from the fold is the most helpless of all creatures. It must be sought for by the shepherd, for it cannot find its way back. So with the soul that has wandered away from God; he is as helpless as the lost sheep, and unless divine love had come to his rescue he could never find his way to God. COL 187.3"
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."
Both passages use the metaphor of sheep going astray to represent humanity's separation from God. Isaiah 53:6 speaks of all going astray, while EGW elaborates on the helplessness of the strayed sheep and the need for divine rescue. The connection is strong and directly related to the imagery and concept presented in Isaiah.
"I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine."
The EGW passage uses the imagery of the shepherd and lost sheep, which is central to John 10:14, to illustrate God's love and pursuit of lost souls. While not a direct quote, the connection is strong and meaningful.