"It was when the Israelites were in a condition of outward ease and security that they were led into sin. They failed to keep God ever before them, they neglected prayer and cherished a spirit of self-confidence. Ease and self-indulgence left the citadel of the soul unguarded, and debasing thoughts found entrance. It was the traitors within the walls that overthrew the strongholds of principle and betrayed Israel into the power of Satan. It is thus that Satan still seeks to compass the ruin of the soul. A long preparatory process, unknown to the world, goes on in the heart before the Christian commits open sin. The mind does not come down at once from purity and holiness to depravity, corruption, and crime. It takes time to degrade those formed in the image of God to the brutal or the satanic. By beholding we become changed. By the indulgence of impure thoughts man can so educate his mind that sin which he once loathed will become pleasant to him. PP 459.1"
"Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."
The EGW passage illustrates the principle of 1 Corinthians 10:12 by describing how ease, self-indulgence, and neglecting prayer can lead to a fall from grace. The warning to 'take heed lest he fall' is directly applicable to the scenario described by EGW.
"Satan is using every means to make crime and debasing vice popular. We cannot walk the streets of our cities without encountering flaring notices of crime presented in some novel, or to be acted at some theater. The mind is educated to familiarity with sin. The course pursued by the base and vile is kept before the people in the periodicals of the day, and everything that can excite passion is brought before them in exciting stories. They hear and read so much of debasing crime that the once tender conscience, which would have recoiled with horror from such scenes, becomes hardened, and they dwell upon these things with greedy interest. PP 459.2"
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
The EGW passage describes how exposure to crime and vice through various media can harden the conscience and lead to sin. This aligns with the principle of Romans 12:2, which encourages believers not to be conformed to the world but to be transformed by the renewing of their minds. Both passages address the influence of the world on one's thoughts and actions.
"Many of the amusements popular in the world today, even with those who claim to be Christians, tend to the same end as did those of the heathen. There are indeed few among them that Satan does not turn to account in destroying souls. Through the drama he has worked for ages to excite passion and glorify vice. The opera, with its fascinating display and bewildering music, the masquerade, the dance, the card table, Satan employs to break down the barriers of principle and open the door to sensual indulgence. In every gathering for pleasure where pride is fostered or appetite indulged, where one is led to forget God and lose sight of eternal interests, there Satan is binding his chains about the soul. PP 459.3"
"But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof."
EGW's statement about avoiding amusements that lead to sensual indulgence and forgetting God directly reflects the principle in Romans 13:14, which urges believers to avoid making provision for the flesh and its lusts. The connection is clear and represents a direct application of the biblical principle.
"All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any."
The EGW passage illustrates the principle of 1 Corinthians 6:12 by highlighting how seemingly permissible amusements can lead to spiritual bondage and the loss of eternal interests. While these activities may not be inherently unlawful, they are not always beneficial or expedient for spiritual growth, and can lead to being 'brought under the power' of sin.
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"
Both passages warn against the dangers of worldly allurements and the influence of Satan. 1 Peter 5:8 urges vigilance against the devil, while EGW describes how Satan uses various amusements to ensnare souls. The connection is thematic, focusing on the devil's deceptive tactics.