with the cross of Christ (1 Cor. 1:18–31). When God speaks from heaven, there will always be some who hear only thunder (John 12:29). In the same way, God’s gracious self-disclosure in Scripture can never be adequately assessed by those who insist on being independent knowers: for God to structure his revelation to accommodate such a desire would be to foster the sin from which the gospel frees us. God in his great mercy refuses to pander to our unlimited lust to be gods. He has ensured that his