There are many things apparently difficult or obscure, which God will make plain and simple to those who thus seek an understanding of them. But without the guidance of the Holy Spirit we shall be continually liable to wrest the Scriptures or to misinterpret them. There is much reading of the Bible that is without profit and in many cases a positive injury. When the word of God is opened without reverence and without prayer; when the thoughts and affections are not fixed upon God, or in harmony with His will, the mind is clouded with doubts; and in the very study of the Bible, skepticism strengthens. The enemy takes control of the thoughts, and he suggests interpretations that are not correct. Whenever men are not in word and deed seeking to be in harmony with God, then, however learned they may be, they are liable to err in their understanding of Scripture, and it is not safe to trust to their explanations. Those who look to the Scriptures to find discrepancies, have not spiritual ins…
"As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."
Both passages discuss the dangers of misinterpreting scripture, particularly when lacking spiritual guidance or having a predisposed bias. EGW expands on the principle outlined in 2 Peter 3:16, detailing the conditions under which misinterpretation is likely to occur.
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come."
EGW's statement about needing the guidance of the Holy Spirit to understand difficult or obscure things in the Bible directly reflects the promise in John 16:13 that the Spirit of truth will guide believers into all truth. The connection is clear and central to the meaning of both passages.
"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
Both passages discuss the inability of the 'natural man' (or those without the Spirit) to understand spiritual things. EGW's passage elaborates on this principle, explaining how a lack of reverence and prayer can lead to misinterpretations of Scripture, which aligns with the core idea of 1 Corinthians 2:14.