1 Corinthians 11:18

πρῶτον μὲν γάρ. Either (1) we must take this to apply to this and the next verse, and the second cause of blame to commence with 1 Corinthians 11:20, or (2) we must regard it as applying to the whole of this chapter, and then the next cause of blame will be the abuse of spiritual gifts, which is treated of in Chapter s 12–14. The latter is the more probable, for many of the commentators seem to have been misled by the technical theological sense which was attached to the words schism and heresy in later ages, a sense which is clearly unknown to the Apostle. The divisions of which the Apostle speaks seem to have been social and personal rather than theological or ecclesiastical. See note on 1 Corinthians 11:21.

ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ. Not the building, for there were no churches in the sense of buildings devoted to Christian worship then, but in the assembly. For the omission of the article, see note on 1 Corinthians 14:4.

σχίσματα. See note on ch. 1 Corinthians 1:10. St John uses the word in the sense of a difference of opinion (John 7:43; John 9:16; John 10:19), and here it is obvious that no formal separation into different bodies took place (see ch. 1 Corinthians 12:25, as well as last note). The sense here is rather that of the ‘little rift within the lute’ which makes harmonious co-operation impossible.