4th century BC
Plato
- Idealism — forms over particulars
- The Republic ethic: “God is not the author of evil”
Notes
This may be the bravest song I have ever released, and to see why, you have to know where I come from. In the sovereign grace world, knowing is the currency. Certainty is how you hold your standing. Say I don't know in a room like that and you have spent status you cannot get back. So I wrote a whole song that makes I don't know a confession of faith instead of a defeat.
It rests on one verse, Deuteronomy 29:29 - the secret things belong to the Lord, the revealed things belong to us. That line draws a fence, and the song lives on both sides of it. On one side, certainty - truth stays steady, the gospel is sure, and I am not wobbling on anything God has actually said. On the other side, honest silence: the secret things are His, not mine, and I will not pretend otherwise to keep up appearances. Certain where He spoke, quiet where He did not.
And notice what the song calls the alternative. Verse two says it plain - when we cannot admit we lack the answer, pride takes hold. The puffed-up man, a few songs back, can never say these three words; they would cost him everything he is built on. The free man says them easily. I wrote a systematic theology book, and I also marked the places inside it where I lean rather than lock. That is not a crack in the system. It is the system being honest. I don't know - and that is alright.
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
The mysteries of life, the secrets untold,
Belong to the One who created the world.
The Lord our God, who reigns on high,
Knows all things, beyond our eye.
But for us, the revealed things are clear,
For us and our brethren, year after year.
To follow the words of the Gospel we’ve been given,
To live a life pleasing to the Lord of heaven.
[Chorus]
I don’t know - and that’s alright,
I’m learning as I move through life.
I don’t know - but here I stand,
Walking in the rhythm of His good plan.
Questions come and questions go,
But I keep rolling with the flow -
Truth stays steady, let it show…
“I don’t know.”
[Verse 2]
Yet how often do we claim to know it all,
When asked a question, we refuse to fall.
Pride takes hold, and we can’t admit,
We don’t have the answer, not one bit.
Oh, let us have the courage to say,
“I don’t know, but I’ll seek the way.”
To humbly admit, we don’t have a clue,
And be open to learning something new.
[Chorus]
I don’t know - and that’s alright,
I’m learning as I move through life.
I don’t know - but here I stand,
Walking in the rhythm of His good plan.
Questions come and questions go,
But I keep rolling with the flow -
Truth stays steady, let it show…
“I don’t know.”
[Verse 3]
For speaking the truth in love is key,
To generate trust, and honesty.
Let’s not perpetuate falsehoods galore,
But admit when we don’t know, and seek for more.
So the next time you’re asked a question deep,
And you don’t know the answer, don’t lose sleep.
Just say, “I don’t know,” and leave it there,
For the Lord holds the secrets, and all truths will be made clear.
[Final Chorus]
I don’t know - and that’s alright,
I’m learning as I move through life.
I don’t know - but here I stand,
Walking in the rhythm of His good plan.
Questions come and questions go,
But I keep rolling with the flow -
Truth stays steady, let it show…
“I don’t know.”
Commentary