1 John 5:7-8 — "The Comma Johanneum"

Methodists, following biblical scholarship, recognize that the Comma Johanneum in 1 John 5:7-8 is not original to 1 John. The phrase 'three that bear record in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost' is absent from all Greek manuscripts before the 16th century and is a later Latin addition.

Metholdists affirm Trinitarian theology (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) based on other, authentic biblical passages — not on the Comma Johanneum. The genuine 1 John 5:8 speaks of 'three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood.' Methodist theology of the Trinity is grounded in the quadrilateral (Scripture, tradition, reason, experience) — and Scripture does not require the Comma Johanneum. Methodists teach biblical criticism as part of responsible Scripture engagement.