RC Sproul
“Frankly, the best manuscripts from antiquity do not include this story in the Gospel of John. The overwhelming consensus of textual critics is that it was not part of the original Gospel of John, at least not this portion of John. At the same time, the overwhelming consensus is that this account is authentic, it’s apostolic, and it should be contained in any edition of the New Testament. Whether it belongs here in John’s Gospel, in Luke’s Gospel (where some ancient manuscripts place it), or somewhere else is a question I leave for the ages. But I believe it is nothing less than the very Word of God, so I will treat it as such…”
Source: Commentary on John, 149 [emphasis added]
I agree with Sproul on the authenticity of this passage, but I do think his position is somewhat ironic in light of the fact that Ligonier Ministries has completely discontinued its NKJV Reformation Study Bible in favor of the ESV, which very clearly brackets the entire passage.
Scott, I didn’t know that the Reformation Study Bible is no longer available in the NJKV. That is both ironic and sad. I’m glad I own one.
A handful are still available on Amazon, so I added it to our bookshop in case anyone wants to obtain a copy:
https://www.textandtranslation.org/reformation-study-bible-nkjv/