1 Corinthians 4:6
1 Corinthians 4:66Brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written. Then you will not take pride in one man over another.
The NWT renders with an explicit rule: "Do not go beyond the things that are written." JWs acknowledge this principle in theory — all teaching should be grounded in Scripture. However, in practice the Watchtower publishes detailed prophetic timelines, organisational commands, and required interpretations (blood fractions, reporting hours, two-witness rule for abuse) that are not found in Scripture.
The NWT's own rendering — "Do not go beyond the things that are written" — is a sharper statement of sola scriptura than most Protestant translations offer. The Watchtower's own study materials confirm this means God's servants should not teach beyond what Scripture says. Second Timothy 3:16-17 in the NWT says Scripture makes the man of God "fully competent, completely equipped" — a stronger sufficiency claim than many Protestant versions. If Scripture completely equips, then blood-fraction charts, field-service hour requirements, two-witness rules for abuse reporting, and prophetic date calculations all fall under "going beyond what is written." The question is direct: does the Watchtower's publishing programme — with its required study articles and binding organisational decrees — stay within or go beyond "the things that are written"?