John 16:7
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
What this passage establishes
Jesus’ departure opens the way for the Comforter to come in the new-covenant indwelling.
Why it matters in the argument
The Son’s real human life explains prayer, obedience, growth, suffering, mediation, and limited human experience without making Jesus less than fully divine. Acts gives observable accounts of people receiving the promised Spirit. Those narratives supply the Bible’s clearest pattern for recognizing Spirit reception.
Apostolic connection
Apostolic teaching distinguishes the eternal Spirit from the genuine humanity God assumed. It does not turn that distinction into separate divine beings. Apostolic teaching distinguishes the initial sign of tongues when the Spirit is received from the later congregational gift that requires interpretation.
Common misunderstanding
The answer is not that Jesus pretended to pray or suffer. The incarnate Son truly lived a human life in relation to God while the fullness of God dwelt in Him. Paul’s question ‘do all speak with tongues?’ concerns distributed gifts in the assembled body, not the repeated initial sign in Acts.
How to use it in conversation
Acknowledge Jesus’ real departure in the flesh, then compare John 14:16-18, where He promises the Comforter and says, ‘I will come to you.’