I explained my hermeneutic just fine, Phillip. Original audience, purpose, context, plain meaning of words. Standard grammatical-historical elements. I also said twice that I didn’t have time to write a detailed study right now. But because I don’t, you apparently think that I’m just regurgitating what someone else said instead of thinking for myself. You’re entitled to your opinion. But so that the rest of the bar doesn’t start agreeing with you, a few examples are in extended entry.

John 14:25-26:

25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Who is Christ talking to? The Apostles. Who will remember all that Christ said with the Spirit’s help? The Apostles. Christ did not say anything to us, here in 2005. He taught the Apostles, and they were in turn to teach the early church, and thereby propagate the Word through the world. The Spirit cannot bring to our remembrance all that Christ said to us, because Christ did not say anything directly to us. There’s nothing to “remember”. The phrase “he will teach you all things” is connected by a Greek kai (and) meaning that the two thoughts go together, so Jesus means that the Spirit will teach the Apostles all things (by implication and context, all things necessary for the spread of the Gospel).

John 15:26-27:

26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

The Apostles will be Christ’s witnesses, with the help of the Spirit of Truth. Who has been with Christ from the beginning? The Apostles. Here Christ alludes to the work of the Spirit in the world at large, but he is specifically directing the Apostles. Compare this with the Great Commission in Matthew 28.

John 16:7-14:

7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

What will the Spirit do in the world? Convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment. This is the Spirit’s operation generally. What will the Spirit do for the Apostles? guide them into all truth, and delcare to them the things that are to come, and take what is Christ’s (his Word, from context), and declare it to them (so that they will be true witnesses, from context).

One can also discuss the instances where Christ generalizes by using the term “whoever” or “whosoever”, as compared to when He addresses the Apostles directly (there is a lot of parallelism in these passages). And a separate study of the High Priestly Prayer in John 17 complements our understanding of the preceding chapters, because the Prayer was the last thing Jesus said, at the end of the Discourse before they went to Gethsemane. Jesus prays for the Apostles, and then prays for us, who will believe because of their words.

This is oversimplified and incomplete, which is why I hesitated doing this, but I wanted to set the record straight that I’m not just spouting off or repeating someone else’s ideas. I’ve actually read and studied through this, and I’m still doing so fairly often. It’s a very rich part of a very unique book of the Bible. There’s a lot of stuff to unpack there.