"64.2 No deep-seated love for Jesus can dwell in the heart that does not realize its own sinfulness. The soul that is transformed by the grace of Christ will admire His divine character; but if we do not see our own moral deformity, it is unmistakable evidence that we have not had a view of the beauty and excellence of Christ. SC 65.1 The less we see to esteem in ourselves, the more we shall see to esteem in the infinite purity and loveliness of our Saviour. A view of our sinfulness drives us to Him who can pardon; and when the soul, realizing its helplessness, reaches out after Christ, He will reveal Himself in power. The more our sense of need drives us to Him and to the word of God, the more exalted views we shall have of His character, and the more fully we shall reflect His image. SC 65.2"
"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
EGW's statement about realizing one's sinfulness is a direct echo of 1 John 1:8. Both emphasize the importance of acknowledging sin rather than denying it.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"
Both passages highlight the universal sinfulness of humanity. EGW expands on the idea that recognizing our sinfulness leads us to Christ, which aligns with the broader context of Romans 3:23 within the doctrine of salvation.
"Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts."
Both passages deal with the recognition of one's own sinfulness upon seeing the divine. Isaiah's exclamation of woe after seeing the Lord is a powerful illustration of the principle EGW describes.
"But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick."
EGW's statement that a view of sinfulness drives us to Christ who can pardon is directly related to the principle in Matthew 9:12, where Jesus states that the sick need a physician. The connection is that those who recognize their spiritual sickness (sinfulness) are the ones who seek Christ.
"When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord."
Peter's reaction in Luke 5:8, where he asks Jesus to depart because he is a sinful man, illustrates the principle that a realization of one's sinfulness can lead to a sense of unworthiness in the presence of the divine, which is what EGW describes.