Ellen Gould White
What does Ellen White write about...
Ellen Gould White über: "Find texts by Ellen G. White stating that bad tendencies or propensities can be eliminated from the character."
Answer
According to the writings of Ellen G. White, the Holy Spirit is provided as a divine power specifically to overcome and eliminate all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil. Through the indwelling of the Spirit, the heart is purified, sinful thoughts are put away, and the character is transformed into the image of God. This process involves a total change where wrong dispositions are redirected and besetting sins are purged from the soul.
The Holy Spirit Overcomes All Evil Tendencies
»Christ has given His Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil and to impress His own character on His church.... When the Spirit of God takes possession of the heart, it transforms the life. Sinful thoughts are put away, evil deeds are renounced; love, humility, and peace take the place of anger, envy, and strife.«
The Transformation and Purging of the Soul
»Besetting sins are overcome; evil thoughts are not allowed in the mind; evil habits are purged from the soul temple. The tendencies which have been biased in a wrong direction are turned in a right direction. Wrong dispositions and feelings are changed, new principles of action supplied, and there is a new standard of character. . . . An entire transformation has taken place.«
Divine Power for Character Perfection
»Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead, who would come in the fullness of divine power. . . . Christ has given His Spirit to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress His own character on His church. The very image of God is to be reproduced in humanity. The honor of God, the honor of Christ, is involved in the perfection of the character of His people.«
Rooting Out Bitter Traits
»Those who have sharp, rough traits of character are guilty before God if they do not, by training, repress and root out all the bitterness of their nature. . . . Shall the bad gain the ascendancy, as with Judas, or shall the evil be purged from our souls and the good predominate?«
Supplying Every Deficiency Through Faith
»Through faith in Christ, every deficiency of character may be supplied, every defilement cleansed, every fault corrected, every excellence developed. “Ye are complete in Him.”«
Weakening Evil Tendencies through Grace
»Under the influence of divine grace every good quality would have been gaining strength, while evil tendencies would have lost their power. This is the work which the Lord proposes to do for all who consecrate themselves to Him.«
Original Sources (English)
Stephan Krol
Founder of EGW Vision
Why I built EGW Vision
Hello, I am Stephan Krol. I started this Ellen White website to make the writings of Ellen G. White and the Adventist pioneers easier to access for everyone.
EGW Vision helps you find topics, statements, and quotes faster, especially when many original sources are not yet fully available in your language. The tool searches semantically, groups relevant content by topic, and presents matching results as clearly as possible in your language.
My hope is that this tool supports personal Bible study, strengthens trust in the original sources, and helps more people discover the message of these writings with clarity, depth, and joy.
