A reformed pastor I was listening to said of the “you” in John 16:13 that it was written to the Apostles and not for us. I wrote in the builtin when he preached it: “If the ‘you’ is only the apostles according to the context, then should we throw the Bible aside and ignore these verses? Context only applies = Apostles = Early Fathers = Tradition. Tradition interprets the Scripture.” We have to be careful of men’s logical devices such as this one, since they can take us the wrong way from the truth.
At the time I was feeling very sad, almost to tears, for the idea that God does not communicate to me, only to the Apostles, only to this pastor. Can I take nothing from Corinthians because the book was written to the Corinthians? Can I take nothing from the Psalms because it was David writing to God? Or - - is what was good for the Corinthians also good for me? Are David’s feelings like my feelings and the answers from God also valid for me? Was what was said to the Apostles also valid for me?
In v25, when Jesus says “I shall show you plainly of the Father” does it mean that at this time, at the coming of the Holy Spirit, that he will show it only to the Apostles? If this is only for the Apostles then does John 14:15 - 19 mean that only the “yous”, the Apostles, get the Holy Spirit”? Does this pastor have a lock on Bible meaning that I, the peon, the non-seminary trained dolt, can not have?
Maybe rather the “Apostles” or “disciples” (KJV) are those who are closest to Jesus in a personal commitment level. They follow closely to him, depending on him, while others come and go. They are capable with their own intellect to interpret the Scriptures. They represent Christians while the others, the well trained egotistical others, represent the religious lost.
