The Church of God General Conference recognizes that 1 John 5:7-8, in the longer form containing explicit Trinitarian language, is not found in the earliest manuscripts and is a later addition to the text. The COGC rejects this passage as authentically Johannine.

However, the COGC notes that the shorter, original form of 1 John 5:7-8 ('There are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree') does not support Trinitarian doctrine and thus the COGC's non-Trinitarian position is not affected by textual criticism of this verse. The COGC's non-Trinitarianism does not depend on rejecting this passage.