What does Ellen White write about...
Adventistische Schriften über: "Why do people hesitate to take responsibility for their wrongdoing?"
Answer
People often hesitate to take responsibility for their wrongdoing because they fear that a confession will cause them to lose their honor or reputation with others. Moreover, human nature has tended toward self‑justification since the Fall, shifting blame onto circumstances, other people, or even God, rather than recognizing one's own character flaw. A confession is also often avoided because it requires a strong exertion of will and is felt as a kind of “crucifixion” of one's own pride.
Fear of loss of honor
»You thought that you would lose your honor – essentially your life – if you confessed your sin. You thought that your brothers would no longer trust you. You did not see things in the right light. It is a shame to sin, but it is always an honor to confess sin.«
The spirit of self‑justification
»The spirit of self‑justification originates with the father of lies and was exercised by our first parents as soon as they yielded to Satan's influence, and it appears in all the sons and daughters of Adam. Instead of humbly confessing their sins, they try to protect themselves by shifting the blame onto others, circumstances, or God.«
Resistance to humiliation
»He has such a great resistance to openly admit that he has made mistakes and done wrong, that he would use the powers of his mind to invent some excuse... rather than humbly enough to acknowledge his wrongdoing. He has brought this habit into his religious experience.«
The overcoming of the will
»Making the necessary confession may require a great exertion of will. It may feel like a crucifixion to say: “I have done this evil and sinned against God.”«
Concealment instead of repentance
»What it would demonstrate on its part, they could not see. If they had done wrong, why should one preserve so much of it? Just keep going; let everything fall away and say as little as possible about it. This is exactly what the enemy of souls wants from them.«
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.
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