First Corinthians 4:6 asks the Corinthian believers to stop comparing their leaders and to stay within what Scripture actually teaches. Paul uses himself and Apollos as examples so that the church would learn humility rather than pride about which teacher they follow. The apostle Paul wrote this letter to the church in Corinth, a busy port city where believers had formed rival loyalties.
Now these things, brothers, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that in us you might learn not to think beyond the things which are written, that none of you be puffed up against one another.
1 Corinthians 4:6 (WEB)
What 1 Corinthians 4:6 Means
Paul begins by saying he has “in a figure transferred” these things to himself and Apollos. In plain terms, he has used his own name and Apollos’s name as a teaching illustration, rather than naming the people who were actually causing trouble. He does this “for your sakes,” meaning he is trying to help them, not to embarrass anyone.
The main instruction is that they should “learn not to think beyond the things which are written.” The phrase points to the boundary of what God has revealed in Scripture. Paul is warning against speculating past that boundary and building personal systems of status around favorite preachers. The verse ends with the purpose: so that none of them would become “puffed up against one another.” The pride Paul names is not simply vanity but a spirit that sets believers against each other.
This verse does not promise that every disagreement will disappear or that church life will become simple. It describes a discipline of humility and of holding fast to God’s written word.
The Context of 1 Corinthians 4:6
First Corinthians was written by Paul to a church he had founded, and it addresses a range of problems including divisions, lawsuits between members, and questions about spiritual gifts. In the verses just before, Paul has been describing the rival loyalties in Corinth, with some saying they belonged to Paul, others to Apollos, and others to Cephas. Apollos was an eloquent teacher who had ministered in Corinth after Paul. The division was partly about which speaker people admired most.
Verses 3 through 5 show Paul refusing to let human judgment define his worth, pointing instead to the Lord as the one who will judge and bring every hidden thing to light. Verses 7 through 9 then confront the Corinthians’ sense of self-sufficiency and boasting. Read in this setting, verse 6 is not a general rule about study but a corrective for people who were splitting the church over leaders they were meant to honor together.
Key Phrases in 1 Corinthians 4:6
1 Corinthians 3:6
I planted. Apollos watered. But God gave the increase.
(WEB)
In the previous chapter Paul explains that he planted and Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. This connects directly to verse 6 by reminding the church that all ministry belongs to God, so no human leader deserves to become a source of division.
Romans 12:3
For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith.
(WEB)
Paul urges believers not to think more highly of themselves than they ought, but to think with sober judgment. It parallels the humility of 1 Corinthians 4:6 and shows that this attitude is a consistent theme in his teaching.
A Short Prayer From 1 Corinthians 4:6
Lord, you have given us your written word as the firm ground for our faith. Keep us from wandering past what you have revealed, and from building our pride on the names of people who are only your servants. Teach us to honor the ones you have sent without setting them against one another. Where we have been puffed up, humble us gently by your Spirit, and make us a church that builds each other up in love. Amen.
