We Have No Idea What We're Doing?
Reasons for Our Hope
Thank you for joining me today. In this edition of Reasons for Our Hope, I want to reflect on a conversation I had as a young pastor, a contemporary worship song I recently heard, and the broader implications of how we think about God, truth, and what it means to worship him in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24).
A Theology of Confusion
Years ago, as a young pastor, a colleague once asked if I had ever heard his “theology of God.” I hadn’t, so he explained. He envisioned a face peeking through the clouds, hands cupped around the mouth, shouting down at humanity: “You all have it wrong!” He seemed quite taken with his own metaphor. I responded with a question: If we all have it wrong, then when we step into the sanctuary to worship, is God pleased or angry? Are we honoring him or compounding our error? He looked confused, but I was simply pressing the logic of his view.
You see, once you adopt the premise that no one really knows who God is or what he wants, then every act of worship becomes guesswork, or worse, potentially offensive to the very God you’re trying to reach. If God has not made himself known, then worship becomes a projection of our own feelings, not a response to his self-disclosure. This is not a small issue, it’s a crisis of theological authority.
A Worship Song That Preaches Doubt
That experience came rushing back to mind as I watched a video clip from a contemporary worship service. What caught my attention was a worship song with lyrics that repeated the refrain, “We have no idea what we’re doing.” The song went on to bless the atheist, the Muslim, and the Christian, lumping all together as spiritual seekers. It referenced countries searching for God through different religions. And then again, “We have no idea what we’re doing.”
The song never mentioned Jesus. I’m not sure it even mentioned God. If it did, the reference was so vague it got lost in the fog of spiritual uncertainty. The lyrics expressed a form of raw doubt, bordering on agnosticism, all in the form of a congregational prayer. It was, I suppose, intended to be authentic, but it was also deeply misleading.
Worship and the First Two Commandments
What is worship? The first commandment tells us to worship the one true God (Exodus 20:3). The second tells us to worship him in the way he commands (Exodus 20:4-6). That means God isn’t pleased with every act labeled “worship.” Sincerity doesn’t sanctify error. Worship must be offered to the true God, as he has revealed himself, and in a manner that aligns with his character and truth.
When we sing that we have no idea what we’re doing, and we address an unnamed being, we aren’t fulfilling either commandment. We’re rejecting God’s self-disclosure in Scripture and especially in the person of Jesus Christ. God isn’t honored by confused vagueness. He’s pleased by reverent, joyful confidence rooted in his Word and Spirit (John 4:24).
What About Doubt and Welcome?
Let me be clear: Churches should welcome people with doubts. Questions are a natural part of spiritual growth. Even the disciples wrestled with uncertainty - Thomas questioned the resurrection (John 20:24-29), and Peter struggled with fear and denial (Luke 22:54-62). Yet Jesus met them where they were and guided them into deeper trust. In Jude 22, we’re instructed, “Have mercy on those who doubt.” That mercy, however, doesn’t mean leaving people in confusion, it means gently guiding them into the clarity of God’s revealed truth.
Churches must be places where questions are taken seriously, but also where God’s answers are clearly taught. God hasn’t remained silent. He’s spoken definitively in his Word (2 Timothy 3:16–17), and supremely in his Son (Hebrews 1:1-2). The Christian faith isn’t a private opinion or cultural preference – it’s a public truth grounded in historical events, divine revelation, and the person and work of Jesus Christ. As Paul said in Acts 17:30-31, God “commands all people everywhere to repent,” having appointed a day for judgment through the risen Christ. We aren’t groping in the dark; we have a sure Word (2 Peter 1:19).
The problem with the song isn’t the acknowledgment that people struggle - Scripture is full of laments and honest cries of the heart. But biblical lament always moves toward trust (see Psalm 13). This song offers no direction. No light. No hope. It invites people to sit in their confusion rather than discover the God who answers. That’s not ministry, it’s surrender to ambiguity.
Solid on Paper
The church that hosted this worship service presents itself as a community for thoughtful, compassionate seekers, desiring to cultivate a “Jesus-inspired life.” Its stated mission includes creating a safe space for both faith and doubt, and it affirms historic creeds like the Apostles’ and Nicene. These affirmations are admirable and represent continuity with the broader Christian tradition. However, such theological commitments must also be reflected in worship and practice. If the substance of worship departs from the content of the faith, particularly the centrality of Christ and the authority of Scripture, then the form of Christianity being expressed may become unrecognizable, more shaped by modern sensibilities than by historic orthodoxy.
This is where the tension arises. Its one thing to affirm biblical truth in creeds or doctrinal summaries, but another to embody that truth in public worship and discipleship. The test of a church’s fidelity isn’t only what it says it believes - it’s what it sings, what it teaches, and how it worships. If Jesus is absent in the language of worship, and the God we proclaim becomes more of a concept than a person, then even orthodox creeds become hollow. We aren’t called to poetic agnosticism, but to proclaim the faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3), with clarity, courage, and conviction.
Authenticity Run Amuck
This brings us to a wider issue in contemporary church culture: the overuse and misuse of the word authentic. Everyone wants to be authentic. But what does that mean? If authenticity means honesty before God - confessing sin, admitting weakness, and seeking grace - that’s biblical and necessary (1 John 1:9; Psalm 51:6). However, if it means elevating subjective feelings above the objective truth of God’s Word, then it ceases to be authentic in any Christian sense. In such cases, “authenticity” becomes a substitute for truth, and even an idol that excuses falsehood and theological drift under the guise of sincerity.
Authenticity detached from orthodoxy becomes performative, therapeutic, and ultimately hollow. It stops being repentance and becomes self-expression. Paul warned Timothy that a time would come when people would not endure sound teaching but would gather teachers to suit their own passions (2 Timothy 4:3). When authenticity isn’t anchored in God’s revealed character and commands, it inevitably leads people away from the Gospel. True authenticity aligns our inner life with reality as God defines it, not as we feel it. And the only way we can know reality rightly is through God’s self-revelation in Scripture and most fully in Christ (John 1:14-18; Colossians 1:15-20)
Our Calling as the Church
Churches must be places of welcome, but they must also be sanctuaries of truth, where the unchanging Word of God is proclaimed without compromise. In our culture, which is often disoriented by relativism and uncertainty, the Church must stand as a lighthouse of clarity and conviction. We don’t help doubters by affirming their confusion or mirroring the world’s agnosticism. We help them by graciously leading them to the God who speaks, the Christ who saves, and the Spirit who illuminates and sanctifies. As Paul exhorted Timothy, we must “rightly handle the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) and proclaim it in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2).
Yes, we must be honest about our struggles, for Scripture never demands we fake certainty where we have none. But biblical honesty is always tethered to divine revelation. The psalms of lament may begin in sorrow, but they end in trust (see Psalm 13, 42, and 73). The solution to spiritual confusion isn’t more confusion, it’s the light of Christ, who is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). The world is full of vague spirituality; what it lacks, and desperately needs, is the clear, compelling voice of the Gospel. The Church must be that voice. We may not always understand every step we take, but we follow the Good Shepherd who goes before us and calls us by name (John 10:3-4). We don’t walk blindly because the Light of the world has come, and his Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105). Jesus himself assures us, “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). This is our hope, our confidence, and our calling, to walk in the light as he is in the light (1 John 1:7).
Key Principles
Worship must be rooted in God’s self-revelation. We aren’t free to invent our own picture of God or define worship however we choose. Christian worship is directed to the true God as he’s revealed himself in Scripture and supremely in Jesus Christ (John 4:24).
Doubt is welcome, but truth must be proclaimed. Churches must be safe places for people with questions, but not places of perpetual uncertainty. The Gospel gives us real answers and confident hope, not endless ambiguity (1 Peter 3:15).
Authenticity without truth is empty. Sincerity matters, but sincerity alone doesn’t make worship pleasing to God. True authenticity aligns our hearts with the God who is, not the god we wish for (Exodus 20:3-6).
Bible Study Questions
What does John 4:23-24 teach us about the nature of true worship? How do “spirit” and “truth” work together?
How does the first commandment (Exodus 20:3) establish who we are to worship, and the second (Exodus 20:4–6) instruct how we are to worship?
According to Romans 1:18-25, what happens when people suppress the truth about God?
How does 1 Peter 3:15 guide our approach to sharing truth with those who have doubts or questions?
Why is it important to maintain theological clarity in corporate worship (Colossians 3:16-17)?
What does Jude 3 mean when it tells us to “contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints?”
Why is it dangerous to disconnect worship from the person and work of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12)?
In Matthew 15:8-9, Jesus criticizes worship that is based on “human rules.” How does that apply today?
How can we encourage genuine questioning without promoting confusion (2 Timothy 2:24-26)?
How does Psalm 100 model worship that is both joyful and theologically grounded?
Questions for Discussion and Personal Reflection
What does “authentic worship” mean to you, and how do you define it biblically?
Have you ever experienced or witnessed a church service where the message was unclear or misleading?
In what ways can churches maintain theological faithfulness while also being welcoming and hospitable?
How can you help others move from spiritual confusion to clarity without being harsh or dismissive?
What’s the difference between emotional vulnerability in worship and emotionalism disconnected from truth?
Why is it important that Jesus is central in our worship, not just assumed or implied?
How do your church’s hymns and worship songs shape what you believe about God?
Do you think the contemporary emphasis on “authenticity” has replaced a focus on biblical truth in some settings?
What do you personally do when you have doubts about your faith? How do you seek answers?
How can Christians better model worship that is both intellectually honest and spiritually vibrant?
Action Steps
Take time this week to reflect on the lyrics of the hymns and songs your church sings. Ask yourself whether they clearly proclaim God’s truth and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Spend time in Scripture meditating on passages like Exodus 3, John 1, and Colossians 1. Let these texts renew your awe for the God who speaks and makes himself known.
If someone in your life expresses confusion or spiritual uncertainty, commit to listening carefully and responding graciously. But also commit to offering them truth - not just empathy - with clarity and hope.
Thank you for joining me today. My hope is that this reflection encouraged and challenged you to think more deeply about worship, truth, and how we lovingly communicate the hope we have in Christ. There are more devotionals, Bible studies, and resources released each week that don’t go out by email, so click here to explore more: Walking Points. If this post blessed you, please share it with others and encourage them to subscribe as well.