Friday 23 January 2026

Psalm 119:161-168

Background
In this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, it’s good to focus on what we have in common, rather than what we disagree on. One thing we have in common across denominations is a belief in the divinity of Jesus and the Holy Trinity. This passage from 1 John is an interesting one when it comes to a discussion of the Trinity, because it includes, in some versions, what is considered to be a later addition (perhaps from as early as the 3rd century). The phrase that was added is termed the ‘Johannine comma’.

Without the extra phrase (the Johannine comma), verses 7-8 read as the quote above; however, with the comma included, it reads: "There are three that testify in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. And there are three that testify on earth: the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree."

Scholars believe the addition came from a scribe who, in copying the text, added a footnote from a previous scribe or commentator into the text itself.

Of course, all of this aside, the Church, through prayer and study of scripture arrived at a belief in the Trinity, without it needing to be spelled out in scripture as succinctly as in the Johannine comma. By the 4th century, the Trinity was an article of faith agreed by bishops from across the different churches and countries – the Nicene Creed.

Last year, our church in Redditch had a big ecumenical service to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed. It was a wonderful opportunity to show unity across many and varied denominations in our town. We even had the Chair of Churches Together in England there as well as the President of the World Council of Churches (European region). We were very fortunate to be able to host this beautiful event, which brought our churches closer together. It’s important that we take every opportunity to pray and act for unity in the world Church.

To Ponder:

• What services or events can your church host or support to bring together different church denominations?
• There have been many debates and disagreements on the details of what the Trinity means. How do you understand it? Is it a mystery which we will only understand we no longer see ‘in a mirror, dimly’ (1 Corinthians 13:12)?

Prayer
Three in one, we pray you will guide us to a fuller understanding of the mystery of your Holy Trinity. We pray that our churches might be drawn together as one, just as you are one. Amen.

Bible notes author: Ruth Wilde
Ruth Wilde is a lay pastor at Emmanuel URC/Methodist church in Redditch, Worcestershire. She works in that role four days a week and spends one day a week as Tutor for the Inclusion of Disabled People and Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) at Luther King Theological College. She was previously National Coordinator of the charity Inclusive Church, for which she edited the book How to Build the Church of the Future (SCM Press).