Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Corinthians 11:18

"For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and I partly believe it." — 1 Corinthians 11:18 (ASV)

For first of all. That is, I mention this as the first thing to be rebuked.

When ye come together in the church. This means when you come together in a religious assembly or convene for public worship.

The word church here does not mean, as it frequently does for us, a building. No instance of such a use of the word is found in the New Testament.

Rather, it means when they came together as a Christian assembly, when they convened for the worship of God.

These divisions took place then, and from some cause that, it seems, was then operating to produce alienations and strife.

I hear. I have learned this through some members of the family of Chloe (1 Corinthians 1:11).

That there be divisions among you. The Greek word for "divisions" (σχίσματα, schismata), as the margin indicates, essentially means "schisms." This word properly means a tear, such as is made in cloth (Matthew 9:16; Mark 2:21), and then a division, a split, or a faction among people (John 7:43; John 9:16; John 10:19).

It does not mean here that they had proceeded so far as to form separate churches, but that there was discord and division in the church itself (see my comments on 1 Corinthians 1:10 and 1 Corinthians 1:11).

And I partly believe it. I credit a part of the reports. I have reason to think that, though the evil may have been exaggerated, it is nevertheless true at least in part. I believe that there are dissensions in the church that should be rebuked.