The objection
Paul tells the Corinthians to learn from him and Apollos “not to go beyond what is written.” If even the apostles hold themselves to what Scripture says, the objection goes, the Church should treat Scripture as its final rule. Got Questions draws that conclusion explicitly. Modern Reformation uses this verse as one piece of a larger case for Scripture’s unique authority. 1 Corinthians 4:6, ESV · Got Questions · Modern Reformation
Why Paul mentions Apollos
Some Corinthians claimed Paul, Apollos, or Cephas as their leader. Paul asks them whether Christ is divided. He calls himself and Apollos servants, and says that God gave the increase. In chapter 3 he quotes Scripture against human wisdom and tells them to stop boasting in men. In 4:6 he names the purpose of the instruction. He wants the Corinthians to stop taking pride in one leader over another. Verse 7 presses the point by asking why they boast about things they received as gifts. 1 Corinthians 1:10–13 · 1 Corinthians 3:5–9, 18–23 · 1 Corinthians 4:6–7
The King James Version reads “not to think of men above that which is written.” The ESV leaves out “think of men” and keeps the reason Paul gives for the warning. The preceding scriptural quotations are a plausible reference for “what is written,” and Paul gives no list of books here. KJV · ESV
What would make Scripture the sole final rule?
Latter-day Saints can affirm Paul’s use of Scripture as a real check on human claims. The jump comes when a rule against exceeding scriptural warrant in this dispute becomes a rule that the completed canon is the Church’s sole infallible authority. In the same letter Paul praises the Corinthians for keeping what he handed down to them. In 2 Thessalonians he explicitly tells believers to hold what they received either by word or by letter. Written Scripture and authoritative spoken teaching coexist in these passages. 1 Corinthians 11:2 · 2 Thessalonians 2:15
The stronger Reformed reply is that oral teaching from a living apostle was binding then, and that the enduring apostolic rule is now preserved in Scripture. Westminster 1.6 and 1.10 state that conclusion and make Scripture the final standard of appeal. To apply that position to 1 Corinthians 4:6, a reader needs an additional argument about what changed after the apostles. The verse itself addresses the Corinthians’ conduct. The Latter-day Saint claim that Christ restored apostolic authority also needs its own historical and spiritual case. Westminster Confession 1.6, 1.10 · The larger Scripture-alone question · The priesthood restoration accounts
A reply you could give
I agree with Paul that Scripture should check what we say about God. Look at why he mentions Apollos. The Corinthians are taking sides and boasting about their leaders. Paul answers that dispute from Scripture, and he also tells believers elsewhere to keep apostolic teaching they heard in person. What shows that only the written form would remain binding after the apostles?