Truth Before Fruit: A Biblical and Story Logic
One of the core ideas behind my book The Sword of Truth and the series that follows is this: truth must be recovered before virtue can be restored. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness — these are not traits that can be maintained in a world built on lies. Because people are created in God’s image, they may display glimpses of these virtues. But authentic Godly living cannot endure where truth is absent or distorted. This belief shapes both the theology and the narrative structure of my stories.
Why Truth Comes First
In Scripture, fruit is the result of a changed life; it is not something we manufacture. It is God’s work, not ours. Jesus speaks about trees and fruit repeatedly — not to encourage moral effort, but to reveal spiritual reality. A good tree produces good fruit. A diseased tree cannot, no matter how much it tries. A spiritually dead life will not produce fruitful, Godly living, because it exists outside God’s truth.
The internal condition of the tree matters more than outward appearance. This principle applies just as strongly to our inner lives. If a person lives within lies — about God, about themselves, or about how truth is lived out — then even their best attempts at love or goodness become fragile. They crack under pressure. They become conditional, selective, or performative. This is why The Sword of Truth exists as the gateway book in the series. Before love can be restored, before joy can be recovered, the world must be re-anchored in truth.
Truth, Not Counterfeit Virtue
One of the great dangers in life is false virtue. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are true virtues — but they flow from a life changed by God.
Lies that promise these things without God are counterfeit. In my stories, many beasts and cities operate on this deception. They promise comfort, order, mercy, or unity — but all of it is built on distortion. The result is a world that appears good, even beautiful, while quietly suffocating faithful Christian living. Truth exposes these falsehoods. It reveals what they really are.
Why the Series Begins with
The Sword of Truth
The Sword in the story is not a weapon of power or violence. It is a symbol of discernment — the ability to cut through lies and name things rightly by holding to the truth about God. Without this foundation, the later books would not make any sense. The Fruit of the Spirit cannot simply be found. They must grow in the believer where truth has taken root. That is why the larger story arc of the series moves deliberately:
- Truth is recovered
- False realities are exposed
- The tree is seen to be dying
- The stolen fruit must be restored
This ordering matters. It mirrors both Scripture and lived experience. Healing begins with recognising our need. It starts with truth.
Why Allegory Matters
Allegorical stories allow these ideas to be explored. Instead of debating concepts, the narrative shows a world where truth has been traded for convenience, power, or comfort — and what that trade has cost. Readers do not need to agree with every interpretation to feel the weight of the question: What happens to true Godly virtue when truth is silenced, or a price is put on it?
That question is not limited to fiction. We see in our own world how the vulnerable are often treated as burdens rather than people.
From Truth to Fruit
The later books in the series focus on the Fruit of the Spirit not as moral achievements but as signs of restored life and authentic Godly living. The King’s Tree bears fruit again only when truth is honoured — not perfectly, not without hardship, but faithfully. This is why The Sword of Truth stands at the beginning. It sets the foundation. Without truth, virtue collapses. With truth, even the smallest faith can grow. And that is the hope at the centre of the story.
The Sword of Truth: An Allegory About Recovering Truth. Due for publication soon.
Written by Daniel J.York
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