Charles Taze Russel
on the Comma Johanneum
By Christian McShaffrey
1 John 5:7, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”
This verse, commonly referred to as the Comma Johanneum, appeared in all Reformation era Bibles, but is conspicuously absent from most modern versions.
Readers who are at first alarmed by the omission are typically offered this assurance by modern pastors, scholars, and textual critics: “These kinds of variants affect no fundamental doctrines.”
While most modern Christians happily agree with that claim, the following excerpt from “Zion’s Watchtower” proves that anti-trinitarian heretics have historically disagreed:
The only text in Scripture which was ever claimed to prove, or affirm, that the Father, Son and Spirit are one, is a portion of 1 John 5:7,8. This appears only in Manuscripts written since the fifth century, and is acknowledged by all Trinitarians to be a “forgery. ” So undisputable is this, that the translators of the “Revised Version” recently published, omit the clause without note or comment, though those Revisors were themselves believers in Trinity. Like some other doctrines received by Protestants through Papacy, this one is received and fully endorsed, though its adherents are aware that not a word of Scripture can be adduced in its support. Nay more, any one who will not affirm this unscriptural doctrine as his faith, is declared by the action of the Evangelical Alliance to be nonorthodox — a heretic.
That the Jehovah’s Witnesses felt this way about 1 John 5:7 does not prove the verse’s authenticity by any means, but it does prove the inaccuracy of those who suggest that omitting a single verse affects no doctrine or that 1 John 5:7 was not central in historic debates over the Holy Trinity.
The next time someone suggests that “No doctrine is affected” by the loss of historically received readings, you might want to respond, “The Russelites didn’t think so!”
“Since Satan cannot destroy the Gospel he has to often neutralized it’s usefulness by addition, subtraction or substitution”
Very good article, reminding me of the above words and how for example some modern versions neutralise I Timothy 3:16 by removing ‘God’ and hiding the obvious Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ.
By way of probably irrelevant personal testimony from a feeblemind in the pew. As a 17 year old I came home from my grandfather’s funeral, my shirt soaked with the tears of grief, thinking that he had gone to Hell, … when the door bell rang. A sympathetic Jehovah’s Witness with the false assurance that I foolishly and ignorantly accepted – that there was no such place. (An instrument of Satan with ‘another gospel’)
Years later seeking the answer to ‘What is Truth?’, the door bell rang again. Remembering the above, this time I accepted the invite to a Watchtower Study, and one of the first comments “I suppose you believe in the Trinity and that Jesus is God?” In my ignorance I hadn’t heard either. The Jehovah’s Witness (Russelite) mentioned that they had once used the Authorised Version but now used a modern better ‘bible’ the New World Translation, would I like a copy? In my confusion I politely declined, but walking home I cried earnestly to Almighty God to show me His Truth, if it was the Watchtower Society I would join them, O’ that He would show me The Truth and which Bible to obtain.
As soon as I opened the door, my wife’s first words, “I have been spring cleaning, look what I found, my 30 year old ‘christening’ bible”. To my astonishment it was a small white unused King James Bible.
I was reading the letter page in the newspaper and one jumped out. It was from a lady whose daughter was indoctrinated into the cult called “the Jehovah’s Witnesses”, there was an address for a Christian Organisation to help, they too used the Authorised Version. By God’s grace I was beginning to be schooled on the deception of this Cult, but ignorant still of the gospel
At the next study I presented my new findings and Bible and was mockingly told to come back with a verse showing Jesus was God.
The Lord was beginning to draw me to Himself, and it was coming to I Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
“without controversy… : God was manifest in the flesh”
This is the scripture that the Holy Spirit immediately used to convict me of The Truth (John 1:14) and my sin (Matt 22:42)
To cut a long story after I was graciously saved I found myself in a church that used the Good News Bible, then another using the NIV. Imagine my alarm that both bibles agreed with the anti-trinitarian Watchtower Society perversion in removing ‘God’ making my own testimony questionable, but not even martyrdom, by God’s grace, would make me renounce my conviction over that one word!
“For God is not the author of confusion”
God was Manifest in the Flesh – 1 Timothy 3.16
The Scripture proofs annexed to section 8, para. 2, include 1 Timothy 3.16, “God was manifest in the flesh”. The Westminster Divines evidently regarded this verse as one of the essential proofs of the Trinitarian doctrine of the Bible, that the Father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God.
https://www.tbsbibles.org/page/1Timothy3verse16#:~:text=The%20Scripture%20proofs%20annexed%20to,the%20Holy%20Spirit%20is%20God.
“Since Satan cannot destroy the Gospel he has to often neutralized it’s usefulness by addition, subtraction or substitution”
JC Ryle
The good Bishop’s words apply not only to the gospel but Scripture itself with modern versions also removing ‘God’ from the above verse, Ryle rightly identifying Satan as the cause!
Unable to destroy the bible he has often neutralized it’s usefulness by addition, subtraction or substitution. Certainly I John 5:7 and I Timothy 3:16 are two examples when we consider the Doctrine of the Trinity and Christ’s Deity.
Dear Wayne,
Thank you, your testimony of how the Lord in His Sovereign Grace and mercy answered your earnest prayer to reveal the truth about Himself and His Word, demonstrates
not only God’s faithfulness in God preserving His Word, Psalm 100:5, but the Lord’s mercy in saving His people by His Word and by His Spirit.
Psalm 100:5 “His truth endureth to all generations” Psalm 119:130 “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple”
May the Lord encourage and greatly bless you,
Chalan Hetherington