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Common Sense  /  Chapter 19, Part 1: Sincere Questions About the Early Church Writings  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 3
Bercot says the early Christians understood Jesus’ promise in John 16:12–13 as applying directly to the apostles, especially in the sense of receiving doctrinal revelation. How would accepting that early Christian assumption affect the way modern believers use this passage?
Another way to ask: Bercot says the early Christians believed John 16:12–13 was mainly a promise to the apostles, especially about receiving true teaching. If we accepted this view, how would it change the way Christians use this passage today?

Direct Answer

Accepting that assumption would mean modern believers should be cautious about using John 16:13 as a promise of direct doctrinal revelation to every Christian. Instead, they would look to the apostles’ teaching, preserved in Scripture and apostolic tradition, as the truth the Spirit first gave to the church.

Support from Transcript

- Bercot states, "the early Christians understood John 16:12 and 13 to apply only to the apostles, at least as to direct revelation from God." - He notes the setting: Jesus spoke after the Last Supper to "his eleven faithful apostles," not to the crowds or even the seventy disciples. - He quotes John 16:13: "he will guide you into all the truth," and stresses that those words were spoken to the apostles. - He connects it with John 14:26, where the Spirit would "bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." - He asks whether anyone today claims the Spirit has brought to memory "all of the things Jesus said to his apostles."

Discussion Follow-ups

This would shift the passage from a guarantee of private doctrinal discovery to a foundation for trusting apostolic teaching.

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