This verse follows up from the previous verse where Paul was saying that there were rivalries among the believers at the church:
When in the Body of Christ we all belong to Jesus Christ and are His disciple and not someone else’s.
This reminds me of how people today would argue or showcase to one another that they are in (xyz) denomination or sect:
Which is also like saying, “I belong to Martin Luther (Lutheranism)/John Smyth (Baptist) or like saying, “I’m a disciple of Martin Luther/John Smyth because the denominations still comes from a preferred way of doing or teaching the scriptures but just like in the church in Corinth division is present because of the major differences present and because of people receiving their guidance/misguidance from people instead of being led by the Holy Spirit which is not divided and causes no confusion.
It’s Jesus Christ who we all belong to in the Body of Christ through faith in Jesus and this was what Paul was pointing to when he remarked, “Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name?” Because Christ was crucified for us and we were baptized in Jesus name so then our body is not our own or does not belong to another’s but the LORD’s. We belong to Christ.
But even with that I’m wondering if saying, “I belong to Christ” is really necessary. It reminds me of when someone says, “I’m Christian” which is also saying the same thing of: “I belong to Christ”.
People will know that we are Christ’s disciples by how we love one another, Jesus says. This also means that people will see a difference in His disciples and those that are not His not by our profession with our lips but by God’s Work in us which IS love.
So in one sense saying, “I belong to Christ.” can be boasting in the LORD which we are supposed to do; but when the motives are wrong and someone is just using Jesus name for clout then the boast would seem just as prideful as boasting in another man like the other people did that Paul mentioned which could be a possible reason for why Paul included someone saying, “I belong to Christ.” Right there along with the others who said, “I belong to Paul/Apollos/Cephas.” in case someone was using the Lord’s (Christ’s) name in vain then they would be corrected as well.
But something else that Paul says in his letters to the church was that even if Christ is proclaimed with wrong motive and ill intent that He is still glorified.