1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Rebuke of the Divisions in the Corinthian Church

10. I beseech you, brethren The Apostle now enters on the subject of the divisions among his Corinthian converts, for which his introduction (see next note) was intended as a preparation.

by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ St Chrysostom says that the reason why the name Jesus Christ appears so often in the introduction (it occurs eight times in nine verses) is the desire to censure indirectly the schisms existing in the Corinthian Church by reminding its members of Him in Whom they were made one, and Whose name told of nothing but love and peace.

and that there be no divisions among you The margin has -schisms," the original σχίσματα. But the recognized theological sense of the word -schisms" renders it unsuitable here, where the idea is rather that of divisions in, than separation from, the Church.

but that ye be perfectly joined together The Apostle is hardly to be supposed here to require absolute unity of opinion, a thing impossible among men, but rather that mutual affection which would knit the disciples together in all essentials, and would prevent all acrimonious discussion of non-essentials. The word rendered joined togetheris literally fitted together, as the fragments in a piece of mosaic, in which each minute portion exactly fills its proper place.

in the same mind and in the same judgment The word translated mind, which is kindred with the Latin noscoand our know, has the signification in the N. T. (1) of the organ of perception, mind, intellect, (2) of the perception which is the result of the action of that organ understanding, and (3) of the intellectual conviction which the understanding imparts. The latter is the meaning here. For an example of (1) see ch. 1 Corinthians 2:16 and note; of (2) see Revelation 13:18. In Romans 7:25 it would seem to have (4) a meaning which includes moral as well as intellectual qualities. The word rendered judgmentdoes not mean judicial sentence, but like judgmentin English it is often equivalent to opinion. See ch. 1 Corinthians 7:25; 1 Corinthians 7:40; 2 Corinthians 8:10. It is rendered advicein the latter passage.