"plan, He chooses His agents not because they are perfect but because, through a connection with Him, they may gain perfection. COL 330.1"
"Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus."
Both passages address the idea of striving for perfection through a connection with Christ. Philippians 3:12 acknowledges the apostle Paul's imperfection and his pursuit of perfection in Christ, while EGW states that God chooses imperfect agents who can gain perfection through Him. The theme of striving for perfection is present in both.
"God will accept only those who are determined to aim high. He places every human agent under obligation to do his best. Moral perfection is required of all. Never should we lower the standard of righteousness in order to accommodate inherited or cultivated tendencies to wrong-doing. We need to understand that imperfection of character is sin. All righteous attributes of character dwell in God as a perfect, harmonious whole, and every one who receives Christ as a personal Saviour is privileged to possess these attributes. COL 330.2"
"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."
Both passages emphasize the importance of striving for moral perfection. Matthew 5:48 is a direct command to be perfect as God is perfect, and EGW reinforces this by stating that moral perfection is required and that imperfection of character is sin. She further explains how this perfection can be attained through Christ.
"Of every Christian the Lord requires growth in efficiency and capability in every line. Christ has paid us our wages, even His own blood and suffering, to secure our willing service. He came to our world to give us an example of how we should work, and what spirit we should bring into our labor. He desires us to study how we can best advance His work and glorify His name in the world, crowning with honor, with the greatest love and devotion, the Father who “so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 . COL 330.4"
"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."
EGW directly quotes John 3:16.