"If you will go to work as Christ designs that His disciples shall, and win souls for Him, you will feel the need of a deeper experience and a greater knowledge in divine things, and will hunger and thirst after righteousness. You will plead with God, and your faith will be strengthened, and your soul will drink deeper drafts at the well of salvation. Encountering opposition and trials will drive you to the Bible and prayer. You will grow in grace and the knowledge of Christ, and will develop a rich experience. SC 80.1"
"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."
EGW directly uses the phrase 'hunger and thirst after righteousness,' which is a clear allusion to Matthew 5:6. The context of seeking spiritual fulfillment is also shared.
"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen."
The EGW passage directly echoes the sentiment of growing in grace and knowledge of Christ, as stated in 2 Peter 3:18. It's more than a thematic parallel; it's a direct application of the biblical principle.
"But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."
The EGW passage speaks of drinking deeply at the well of salvation, which is a clear parallel to Jesus's words in John 4:14 about the water that quenches thirst and springs up into everlasting life. The imagery is very similar.
"The only way to grow in grace is to be disinterestedly doing the very work which Christ has enjoined upon us—to engage, to the extent of our ability, in helping and blessing those who need the help we can give them. Strength comes by exercise; activity is the very condition of life. Those who endeavor to maintain Christian life by passively accepting the blessings that come through the means of grace, and doing nothing for Christ, are simply trying to live by eating without working. And in the spiritual as in the natural world, this always results in degeneration and decay. A man who would refuse to exercise his limbs would soon lose all power to use them. Thus the Christian who will not exercise his God-given powers not only fails to grow up into Christ, but he loses the strength that he already had. SC 80.3"
"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."
Both passages emphasize the importance of action and works in demonstrating faith. James 2:26 states that 'faith without works is dead,' while EGW argues that spiritual growth requires actively engaging in Christ's work and helping others. Both highlight the necessity of outward actions as evidence of genuine faith.
"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
EGW's statement about helping and blessing those in need directly reflects the principle found in Matthew 25:40, where Jesus equates acts of service to 'the least of these my brethren' with service to Himself. Both passages emphasize the importance of practical compassion and service to others as an expression of faith.