"Prohibition The man who has formed the habit of using intoxicants is in a desperate situation. His brain is diseased, his will power is weakened. So far as any power in himself is concerned, his appetite is uncontrollable. He cannot be reasoned with or persuaded to deny himself. Drawn into the dens of vice, one who has resolved to quit drink is led to seize the glass again, and with the first taste of the intoxicant every good resolution is overpowered, every vestige of will destroyed. One taste of the maddening draft, and all thought of its results has vanished. The heartbroken wife is forgotten. The debauched father no longer cares that his children are hungry and naked. By legalizing the traffic, the law gives its sanction to this downfall of the soul and refuses to stop the trade that fills the world with evil. MH 344"
"At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder."
The proverb describes the eventual destructive consequences of alcohol, which aligns with EGW's description of the drunkard's state.
"For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I."
Both passages address the struggle against one's own desires and the inability to control oneself. Romans 7:15 speaks to the general human condition of acting against one's will, while EGW applies this to the specific context of addiction and the loss of willpower due to alcohol. The connection is thematic and relevant.
"Considering only the financial aspect of the question, what folly it is to tolerate such a business! But what revenue can compensate for the loss of human reason, for the defacing and deforming of the image of God in man, for the ruin of children, reduced to pauperism and degradation, to perpetuate in their children the evil tendencies of their drunken fathers? MH 344.1"
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."
EGW's passage refers to the 'defacing and deforming of the image of God in man' due to alcohol abuse, which directly relates to the concept of humans being created in God's image as stated in Genesis 1:27.
"Must this always continue? Will souls always have to struggle for victory, with the door of temptation wide open before them? Must the curse of intemperance forever rest like a blight upon the civilized world? Must it continue to sweep, every year, like a devouring fire over thousands of happy homes? When a ship is wrecked in sight of shore, people do not idly look on. They risk their lives in the effort to rescue men and women from a watery grave. How much greater the demand for effort in rescuing them from the drunkard's fate! MH 344.3"
"Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ."
EGW's call to rescue people from the 'drunkard's fate' directly reflects the principle of bearing one another's burdens as stated in Galatians 6:2.
"And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise."
EGW's analogy of rescuing people from a 'watery grave' to rescuing them from the 'drunkard's fate' parallels the Good Samaritan's act of helping the injured man, highlighting the importance of compassion and action.