What does Ellen White write about...
Adventistische Schriften über: "What is the original text of the foot‑washing rite, its meaning and its purpose; the details of Jesus' foot washing on the last night; why the Sabbath is called a service of humility; whether other churches also refer to the foot‑washing rite as a service of humility; the historical relationship between the foot‑washing rite and the service of humility. Only based on Holy Scripture according to the Chinese Heheben translation and the works of Mr. Wai."
Answer
The provided documents explain the meaning and details of the foot washing: Jesus girded Himself on the eve of His death like a servant and washed the disciples' feet while they were arguing about who should be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, to leave them a lasting lesson of humility, self‑denial, and mutual love. The foot washing (also referred to as the ordinance of humility) serves to keep God’s people humble and set apart from the world.
\nHowever, the present documents contain no statements regarding specific Chinese Bible translations (Heheben translation), writings of “Mr. Wai,” or a designation of the Sabbath as a service of humility.
\n\nJesus' Lesson of Humility on the Eve of His Death
\n\n\n»In His humiliation, when His work on earth was almost completed and He was about to return to the throne of His Father [...], a lesson on the importance of humility belonged to His final teachings to His disciples. While His disciples were arguing about who should be the greatest in the promised kingdom, He girded Himself like a servant and washed the feet of those who called Him Lord and Master. [...] And so that they would never forget the humility of the pure and spotless Lamb of God, the great and effective sacrifice for humanity humbled itself to wash His disciples' feet.«
Christ's Example and His Command of Humility
\n\n\n»As our Lord, ‘after He had loved His own,’ wanted to show them His love ‘to the end,’ He rose from the table and set about ‘washing their feet.’ [...] He gave them ‘an example.’ But should one not follow this? Indeed: ‘that you do as I have done to you.’ [...] ‘When I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.’ [...] ‘Truly, truly, I say to you: the servant is not greater than his master.’«
Purpose of Foot Washing for the Humility of Believers
\n»In God's word duties are established, the fulfillment of which keeps God's people humble, separated from the world, and protected from apostasy, as it is practiced in the nominal churches. The foot washing and the partaking of the Lord’s Supper should be practiced more frequently. Jesus gave us the example and charged us to act as He did. I saw that His example should be followed as closely as possible [...]«
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.
