1 Corinthians 12:25

That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(25) That there should be no schism.—The existence of differences of gifts in the Church had been used by the Corinthians to cause schisms, exalting some gifts and depreciating others, when this very variety in the Church ought, as was the intention of variety in the human body, to create a mutual dependence, which would promote unity.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

12:12-26 Christ and his church form one body, as Head and members. Christians become members of this body by baptism. The outward rite is of Divine institution; it is a sign of the new birth, and is called therefore the washing of regeneration, Tit 3:5. But it is by the Spirit, only by the renewing of the Holy Ghost, that we are made members of Christ's body. And by communion with Christ at the Lord's supper, we are strengthened, not by drinking the wine, but by drinking into one Spirit. Each member has its form, place, and use. The meanest makes a part of the body. There must be a distinction of members in the body. So Christ's members have different powers and different places. We should do the duties of our own place, and not murmur, or quarrel with others. All the members of the body are useful and necessary to each other. Nor is there a member of the body of Christ, but may and ought to be useful to fellow-members. As in the natural body of man, the members should be closely united by the strongest bonds of love; the good of the whole should be the object of all. All Christians are dependent one upon another; each is to expect and receive help from the rest. Let us then have more of the spirit of union in our religion.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

That there should be no schism - Margin, "Division;" see note on 1 Corinthians 11:18. The sense here is, that the body might be united, and be one harmonious whole; that there should be no separate interests; and that all the parts should be equally necessary, and truly dependent on each other; and that no member should be regarded as separated from the others, or as needless to the welfare of all. The sense to be illustrated by this is, that no member of the church, however feeble, or illiterate, or obscure, should be despised or regarded as unnecessary or valueless; that all are needful in their places; and that it should not be supposed that they belonged to different bodies, or that they could not associate together, any more than the less honorable and comely parts of the body should be regarded as unworthy or unfit to be united to the parts that were deemed to be more beautiful or honorable.

Should have the same care - Should care for the same thing; should equally regard the interests of all, as we feel an equal interest in all the members and parts of the body, and desire the preservation, the healthy action, and the harmonious and regular movement of the whole. Whatever part of the body is affected with disease or pain, we feel a deep interest in its preservation and cure. The idea is, that no member of the church should be overlooked or despised; but that the whole church should feel a deep interest for, and exercise a constant solicitude over, all its members.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

25. no schism—(compare 1Co 12:21)—no disunion; referring to the "divisions" noticed (1Co 11:18).

care one for another—that is, in behalf of one another.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

By schism is here meant division, and that also must be expounded figuratively, and it is expounded in the next words,

that the members should have the same care one for another; that though the members differ in honour and office, yet they might mutually take care for each other, as if they were all in an equal degree of honour.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

That there should be no schism in the body..... No complaint of one member against another, as useless and unnecessary; no murmuring on that account; no tumults and rioting; no rebellion and insurrection of one against another; no dissension, no division. The use Menenius (e) Agrippa made of this simile, applying it to the body politic, as the apostle here does to the spiritual body, for the appeasing of a sedition among the people; is well known, and usually mentioned by interpreters on this place:

but that the members should have the same care one for another; that is, they are so tempered and mixed together, are in such close union with, and have such a dependence on each other, that they are necessarily obliged to take care of each other's good and welfare, because they cannot do one without another; and so God has ordered it in the church, that persons should be so placed in it, and gifts disposed of among them in such a manner, that every man is obliged, not only to look on, and be concerned for his own things, that he takes care of himself, and performs his office, but that he looks every man on the things of others, his good and safety being involved in theirs.

(e) Liv. Hist. l. p. 43.

Geneva Study Bible

That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same {r} care one for another.

(r) Should bestow their operations and offices to the profit and preservation of the whole body.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

1 Corinthians 12:25. Σχίσμα] i.e. disunion, such as is vividly represented by way of example in 1 Corinthians 12:21.

ἀλλὰ τὸ αὐτὸ κ.τ.λ[2002]] in order that, on the contrary, there may be one and the same interest, to which the members mutually direct their care for each other. Comp Liv. loc. cit. What Paul has in view in the τὸ αὐτό, which he so emphatically puts first, may be gathered from the ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων, namely, the welfare of every other member. Comp 1 Corinthians 12:26. The plural μεριμνῶσι with the neuter noun is to be explained from the distributive sense (Kühner, a[2005] Xen. Mem. iv. 3. 12); in 1 Corinthians 12:26, on the other hand, the totality of the members is expressed.

[2002] .τ.λ. καὶ τὰ λοιπά.

[2005] d refers to the note of the commentator or editor named on the particular passage.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

25. schism] i.e. discordance of aims and interests. See notes on 1 Corinthians 1:10, 1 Corinthians 11:18. God had specially provided against this by giving to those who occupy the less honourable and ornamental positions in society the compensation of being the most indispensable portions of it. The ‘comely parts’—the wealthy, the refined, the cultivated, the intellectual—obtain honour and respect by the very nature of their gifts. God has signified His Will that due honour and respect should be paid to those to whom it is not instinctively felt to be owing, by so ordering society that we cannot do without them. But our class distinctions and jealousies, our conflicts between capital and labour, shew how little Christians have realized this obvious truth.

but that the members should have the same care one for another] All wars, insurrections, conflicts between class and class, arise from forgetfulness of the fact that the interests of all mankind are identical. Nor can this forgetfulness be charged upon one nation or one class of society. “The spirit and the law of the Life of Christ is to be that of every member of the Church, and the law of the Life of Christ is that of sympathy. How little, during the eighteen hundred years, have the hearts of men been got to beat together! Nor can we say that this is the fault of the capitalists and the masters only. It is the fault of the servants and dependents also.”—Robertson.

Bengel's Gnomen

1 Corinthians 12:25. Ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων μεριμνῶσι, care for one another) This is explained in the following verse. The plural μεριμνῶσι, more expressly denotes the care of all the members, than if it were said in the Attic dialect, μεριμνᾷ.[113]

[113] Neut. plur. with verb sing.—ED.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 25. - No schism in the Body. What is exclusively called "schism" is not necessarily such. There may be difference of fold in the one flock. There may be no real discord or dissension, though there may be varieties of ecclesiastical government. Unity, as the whole argument shows, does not demand the existence of uniformity. That the members should have the same care one for another. Thus the early believers "were of one heart and of one soul;" and the moment that a complaint arose that one of the weakest and smallest interests was neglected, the supposed neglect was amply remedied (Acts 4:32; Acts 6:1-6). 1 Corinthians 12:25