Romans 8:11
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Primary
What this passage establishes
Jesus is raised by God’s indwelling Spirit, one biblical way of describing the resurrection.
Why it matters in the argument
Acts gives observable accounts of people receiving the promised Spirit. Those narratives supply the Bible’s clearest pattern for recognizing Spirit reception. Biblical right-hand language regularly describes power, victory, favor, and royal authority. It should not be flattened into a literal picture of two divine bodies seated side by side.
Apostolic connection
Apostolic teaching distinguishes the initial sign of tongues when the Spirit is received from the later congregational gift that requires interpretation. Jesus is the exalted man and visible Lamb in relation to the invisible God, yet Revelation’s final vision has one throne, one face, and one name.
Common misunderstanding
Paul’s question ‘do all speak with tongues?’ concerns distributed gifts in the assembled body, not the repeated initial sign in Acts. A vision can distinguish God’s glory from the glorified Son without teaching two Gods or two coequal divine thrones.
How to use it in conversation
Use this to show that the Spirit of God dwelling in believers is the same divine Spirit active in raising Jesus, not a rival divine agent.
Scripture connections
See which passages advance, clarify, or answer the argument
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Response passages
Acts 2:32-36Scripture attributes the resurrection to God, the Father, the Spirit, and Jesus’ own authority. These are complementary descriptions of the one God acting through the incarnation.John 14:10Use this supporting passage to answer the objection without isolating one text.Colossians 2:9Use this supporting passage to answer the objection without isolating one text.