Romans 12:5

οἱ πολλοὶ κ.τ.λ. We who are many, being in Christ, are one body; cf. Romans 8:1-10. The connexion of the individual with Christ, made in baptism, is a connexion of life, given by the presence of His life in him. But this life is one and the same for all who are baptised into Him; therefore the connexion of the individual is not only with Christ but with all who are instinct with the same life. The individuality however is not thereby submerged, but socialised, so to speak: it is developed by being brought into these new and living relations and has its part in the organic whole. The emphasis here is not on the connexion with Christ, which is assumed, but on the consequent connexion with others. So in 1 Corinthians 10:17; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 2:16; Ephesians 4:4. In 1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 1:23; Ephesians 4:12 alibi, the stress is on the relation to Christ.

τὸ δὲ καθ' εἷς. Cf. Mark 14:19, [Joh.] Romans 8:9. “κατὰ is used as an adverb distributively. M. Gr. καθείς or καθένας = each,” Moulton, p. 105. τὸ … = as regards our several individualities; cf. Romans 9:5; Romans 12:18; Blass, p. 94. The accus. of reference has become an adverbial accus.

ἀλλήλων μέλη. Cf. Ephesians 4:25, where also the stress is on the mutual obligations in the society; otherwise μέλν Χριστοῦ (1 Corinthians 6:15; 1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 5:30). Thus again the special direction of the σωφροσύνη is indicated.