The passage
      v10. On the issue of divisions in the church, Paul could command their obedience, but instead he encourages a response prompted by the grace of God in Christ. His "appeal" is that they:
        i] "agree with one another." He means by this that there should be no "divisions" among them. Divisions, not so much in the sense of parties (he is not demanding uniformity), but rather rents or tears in their fellowship.
        ii] "be perfectly united in mind and thought". He is calling here for a unity of opinion in the gospel. They have divided theological opinions which are focused on different teachers (most likely without their approval).
      v11. Paul now identifies the source of his information about the state of the Corinthian church.
      v12. The information from Chloe's household is that church members have divided into factions which have grown to love theological disputation. Famous teachers of the faith have been used to authenticate their "wisdom", and this has resulted in growing division.
      v13. Division within the church prompts Paul to utter three rhetorical questions. First, "is Christ divided?" This phrase concerns the unity of the people of God in Christ. It is a sin to divide the fellowship of believers into contending factions. Second, using himself as the focal point of one of the factions (but also read "Apollos"), he asks whether he was crucified for them, and third, whether they were baptized into his name? The absurdity of such a view underlines the worth of the divisions in the church.
      v14-16. "Thank heavens", exclaims Paul, that he never got to give water baptism to many in Corinth. No one can accuse him of working up his own group around a baptismal rite. Crispus is most likely the Jewish synagogue leader mentioned in Acts 18:8 and Gaius may be the person he stayed with when writing his letter to the Romans, Rom.16:23.
      v17. Paul did not come to Corinth to form a "Paul" party. He was not some wandering philosopher whose system of logic and powerful oratory could be judged against that of others (possibly another reference to Apollos). Paul was an apostle, a sent one. Jesus sent him to communicate the gospel - the message of salvation in Jesus Christ. The message of the cross has its own power, its own dynamic, and must not be covered by clever rhetoric.

Party spirit
      The divisions in the Corinthian church are small when compared with the divided state of Christianity today. We live in an age which can be compared with the period of the Judges in the Old Testament - "all do that which is right in their own eyes." In any one suburb we may find as many as six different Christian fellowships. The ecumenical movement has produced some organizational unity, yet there are probably more denominations, non-denominations and Christian sects today than when the ecumenical movement began to take shape just after the second World War. Even the Charismatic renewal movement began with the hope that it would unite the different denominations through a renewing work of the Spirit, but the Christian church has continued to fracture.
      The fractured state of Christianity reflects human weakness; it reflects our limitations to transcend history and culture. We fail to deal with problems in the church and so end up in schism. We cling to our racial identity, preserving cultural churches. So, we live with massive division.
      Yet, Paul's focus in his letter to the Corinthians is not organizational unity; he is not arguing for Christian uniformity. Different groupings of believers with different interests, or as it is today, different worship styles and organizational structures, are not really of interest to the apostle. He calls for a sense of common agreement on the substantial issues of their fellowship together - that they be "perfectly united in mind and thought". He calls for unity in the fellowship of believers, and this through a common acceptance of gospel truth, v10.
      Christ is one and we are one in him, v13. Therefore, our life together as a church fellowship and our contacts with members of other churches, must reflect the oneness we have in Christ. We should do nothing to promote division nor accentuate division. In our relationship with those in our church fellowship, or those in other Christian fellowships, we need to focus on the substantial truths that unite us in Christ.
      Jesus has not given us this moment to promote our own cause, our own individualism, v17. We are here to realize the kingdom of God in our own lives, in the life of our Christian fellowship and in our broken world. This we do in Christ's power. We are here to promote his cause in his power, not our cause in our power.

v10
      This verse functions as the "thesis statement of the entire discourse", Thiselton, Witherington.
      parakalw "I appeal to" - I encourage, appeal to, exhort, implore, entreat... Probably best in the sense of "I ask", rather than "beg / beseech / appeal."
      adelfoi (oV) "brothers" - "brothers and sisters", NRSV.
      dia + gen. "in [the name]" - through, by means of. With acc. we would be expected, "because of / on account of the name of our Lord Jesus", ie., expressing agency, but the syntax demands an instrumental sense, "by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ", Barclay. None-the-less agency makes better sense, "through the name."
      iJna + subj. "that [... you agree]" - Here forming a noun clause, object of the verb "appeal".
      to auto leghte "all of you agree" - speak the same thing. "Be at peace / make up the difference", is a common expression of the day. "All to be in agreement in what you profess", NJB.
      mh h\/ "so that there may be no [divisions]" - Probably the second object clause, "that there may not be schisms", or possibly a purpose clause, "in order that", as NIV.
      h\te subj. of verb to-be "that you may be [perfectly united]" - Forming a third object clause controlled by hina.
      kathrtismenoi (katartizw) perf. pas. part. "perfectly united" - being united, restored, mended, made complete. With the subj. verb to-be forming an unusual periphrastic perfect expressing a union that is achieved, but also ongoing. "You may be refurbished", Garland.
      en tw/ autw/ noi kai en th/ auth/ gnwmn/ "in mind and thought" - in the same mind and in the same thought. The two nouns, "mind" and "thought" take many meanings and this has prompted numerous translations, "united in your beliefs and judgments", NJB; "in your general attitude to life and in each particular decision", Barclay; "common temper and attitude", Moffatt; "with the same mind-set and with the same consent", Thiselton.

v11
      The church had sent a letter asking Paul to give his opinion on certain matters of theology. This letter was carried by Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus. The depth of division in the church is most likely not revealed in this letter. Paul tells us that his information came from members of Chloe's household who had told him of the troubles in the church. Obviously Chloe's household is known to the Corinthian believers. Some commentators suggest that Chloe may have run a trading house between Corinth and Ephesus. At the time of writing, Ephesus was Paul's base.
      adelfoi mou "my brothers" - "My dear Christian family", Thiselton.
      edhlwqh (dhlow) aor. pas. "have informed" - it was made clear. Not just "informed", but rather "it was made clear", Thiselton.
      uJpo twn ClohV "some from Chloe's household" - by them of Chloe. The prep. + gen. = agency. "Household" covers all the possibilities: children, servants....
      oJti "that" - Introducing a dependent statement after a verb of saying or thinking.
      erideV "quarrels" - discord, contention, quarrels, disputes, revelry.

v12
      It is not easy to identify the actual "party" positions that Paul is referring to in this letter. He implies that there is a strong "Apollos" group which now opposes a weaker "Paul" group (although Paul does not favour a "Paul" party). "Peter" and "Christ" are most likely thrown into the argument to underline the stupidity of claiming certain teachers as the source of their own particular theological ideas. Does not Peter follow Christ, in the same way as Apollos and Paul follow Christ? Clearly the Corinthians are out of control and are running their own agenda rather than submitting to Christ through the teachings of their apostle, namely, Paul.
      legw de touto "what I mean is this" - now I say this. "I refer to the fact that each of you has his slogan", Barclay.
      legei (legw) pres. "says" - [each of you] says. The present tense is probably iterative, expressing repeated action.

v13
      memeristai (memrizw) perf. pas. "is [Christ] divided?" - separated, divided. "Does Christ belong to some particular church association?"
      mh "-" - This negation in a question expects a negative answer. "Is Paul your saviour?", Robertson.
      ebaptisqhte (baptizw) aor. pas. "were you baptized" - were you immersed. "Baptized into the name of" someone carries with it a sense of identification with that person. An identification with Christ is ours when we hear and believe the gospel. So "baptized into the name" means: immersed into an understanding and thus association with that person. The Christian symbol of water baptism serves to illustrate this identification, although primarily it is a symbol of repentance (and the reception of the Holy Spirit?). Paul is primarily concerned with a person being "in" Christ, incorporated in Christ, united with him, one with him, which means much the same as being "baptized/immersed" into "the name/person" of Christ. So, for Paul, any sense of a primary association with him through the sign of water baptism is absurd.

v14
      Obviously there was a tendency for political groupings to form around the baptizing apostle. Paul opposes this tendency, although he doesn't depreciate the ministry of water baptism itself. oJti "that" - Introducing a dependent statement.
      tw/ qew/ "-" - to God. Metzger sees good reasons for including this variant reading although the textual weight is against it. Even without the variant the phrase is rhetorical, so "thank God, I never baptized any of you", REB.
      ei mh "except" - "Other than."

v15
      iJna mh + subj. "so no [one can say]" - that no [certain person may say]. Usually forming a final (purpose) clause, but here obviously consecutive expressing result, "with the result that no one can say ..."

v16
      de kai "(yes ...." - now even. Although not expressed as such, what we have here is a qualification, "on second thoughts ...." Paul is not going to get caught out on minor details.