TEXTUALLY SENSITIVE VERSES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

These passages are safe to quote devotionally, but should not be used as absolute doctrinal proof texts, because their wording does not appear in the earliest Greek manuscripts.
None of these affect doctrine.
All doctrine is fully supported elsewhere in Scripture.

1 JOHN 5:7 – The Comma Johanneum

Issue: The phrase “the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one” appears only in very late Greek manuscripts.
Use: Doctrinal truth, but not original.
Safe rule: Quote devotionally; use other verses for Trinity proof.

MARK 16:9–20 – The Long Ending of Mark

Issue: Absent from the earliest manuscripts; appears in later copies.
Use: Safe to preach, but not the sole foundation for healing, tongues, signs, etc.
Safe rule: Support with Gospels and Acts.

JOHN 7:53–8:11 – Woman Caught in Adultery

Issue: Not found in earliest manuscripts; story appears in different locations.
Use: Safe for teaching on mercy; not a foundation for doctrine.
Safe rule: Do not base theology on disputed wording.

ACTS 8:37 – Confession Before Baptism

Issue: Entire verse absent in earliest manuscripts.
Use: The confession is true; Romans 10:9–10 is the stronger text.
Safe rule: Do not build baptismal doctrine on this verse alone.

MATTHEW 17:21 – “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting”

Issue: Missing from earliest manuscripts; borrowed from Mark 9:29.
Use: Teaching is true; Mark 9:29 is the primary text.

MATTHEW 6:13 – Doxology of the Lord’s Prayer

“…For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever…”
Issue: A later liturgical addition.
Use: Excellent for worship; not foundational for doctrine.

1 TIMOTHY 3:16 – “God was manifested in the flesh”

Issue: Some manuscripts say “He who…” instead of “God…”
Use: Deity of Christ is affirmed strongly elsewhere (John 1:1; Heb 1:8).

LUKE 22:43–44 – Jesus’ Sweat Like Drops of Blood

Issue: Absent in some early manuscripts.
Use: Historically likely; not doctrinally essential.

JOHN 5:3b–4 – Angel Stirring the Waters of Bethesda

Issue: Not found in earliest manuscripts; likely a later explanatory gloss describing a local belief.
Use: Not doctrinal; simply background explaining why the sick gathered.
Safe rule: Preach the miracle of Jesus, not the superstition of the pool.

SUMMARY

These verses are part of the Bible tradition and safe for devotional reading. However, they do not appear in the earliest Greek manuscripts and therefore should not be used as the sole basis for establishing doctrine. No core Christian doctrine depends on these passages. All teachings are fully supported by undisputed Scriptures found across the New Testament. Crossroads students should honour these verses while building doctrine on texts that are both original and universally attested in the manuscript tradition.

THE DOCTRINAL SIGNIFICANCE OF JOHN 1:18

“THE ONLY BEGOTTEN GOD” — A TEXTUAL AND THEOLOGICAL EXAMINATION

John 1:18 NKJV
No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

John 1:18 is one of the most significant Christological statements in the New Testament. It contains a well-known textual variant that appears in two forms within the ancient Greek manuscripts. Some manuscripts read “the only begotten Son” (monogenēs huios), while others — including some of the earliest and most important witnesses — read “the only begotten God” (monogenēs theos). Both readings are orthodox, fully consistent with biblical revelation, and mutually supportive of the deity of Christ.

The earliest manuscripts, including P66 (c. AD 200), P75 (c. AD 200), Codex Vaticanus (4th century), and Codex Sinaiticus (4th century), overwhelmingly support the reading “only begotten God.” Later manuscripts within the Byzantine tradition preserve the reading “only begotten Son,” which is followed in the Textus Receptus and therefore appears in the KJV and NKJV. Both readings are ancient; neither is heretical nor doctrinally problematic.

The key word, monogenēs, does not primarily mean “begotten” in a biological sense. Rather, it means unique, one-of-a-kind, the One who is absolutely distinct from all others. Hebrews 11:17 uses monogenēs for Isaac, who was not Abraham’s only son, but the unique covenant son. In the same way, Christ is the unique, one-of-a-kind, eternal Son who reveals the Father.

Thus, the reading “only begotten God” is a powerful affirmation of Jesus’ deity and aligns perfectly with the declaration earlier in the chapter:

John 1:1 NKJV
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The two variants do not represent two theologies; instead, they express two complementary truths:

Christ is the unique Son (fully divine, eternally with the Father).
Christ is the unique God (the divine Word who reveals the Father).

Both statements harmonise completely with the testimony of the New Testament.

John 20:28 NKJV
And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

Hebrews 1:8 NKJV
But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.”

Regardless of which reading is followed, the theological meaning remains unchanged:
Jesus Christ is the eternal, divine Son who fully reveals God because He Himself is God.

Crossroads International Bible College affirms that there is no contradiction between the manuscript traditions. The NKJV wording “only begotten Son” remains fully accurate and doctrinally sound. The alternative reading “only begotten God,” attested in very early manuscripts, reinforces and strengthens the biblical truth of Christ’s deity. No core doctrine is affected; instead, both readings point to the same glorious revelation — Jesus Christ, the eternal Son, is God made known to mankind.