271. THE TRUTH – AN APPLE, A PEAR OR AN ORANGE?

(The Information & Edification Series – Batch 8)

There is a lie that is being increasingly presented and that is quickly gaining traction into today’s world, like a virus, one which sore disturbs me because it is yet another one of the devil’s deceptive tricks.

He is seeking to convince people that truth is subjective and that truth is what you make of things. People are therefore increasingly using the ridiculous terms of “my truth” and “your truth” and “their truth”. People are now urged to tell “their truth”, not truth, as if truth is something that can be manipulated by or that is dependent on people’s perspectives.

To say the least, this is utter nonsense and has its roots in satan. What is this about “your truth” and “my truth”? Clearly, this new fad is calculated to give people the false impression that truth is what you think it is or what you believe to be true, when this is not at all the case.

My dear friends, the truth of the matter is that there is no such thing as “your truth” or “their truth” or “my truth”. This is fictitious and a concept created to lead you astray. Truth is never subjective. It is not the end-result of what you think or how you see things but always factual and objective.

In this world, we have opinions, views and perspectives on issues yes but TRUTH IS TRUTH and in any given situation, THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUTH. I may see things one way and be convinced of it yes and another may see it another way and be convinced of it but truth has nothing to do with how you or I see things but HOW THINGS REALLY ARE.

How you see things may look like truth but you could be wrong. The same is true of my perspective on things. This is because in addition to other factors, we are affected by our perspective, shaped by our past, prejudices, where we are positioned and our personality. Thankfully though, truth is uninfluenced by perspective. It is not subjective, nor is it dependent on how you or I see things. It is factual, it is objective, it is undisturbed by viewpoints and it is consistent.

To illustrate my point about truth and that it cannot be touched or affected by our opinions or perspective, in simple terms, imagine that on a table there is an apple. I ask two people to tell me what is on the table. One says it is an orange, while the other says it is a pear.

The two accounts contradict and cannot be reconciled. We therefore know that they cannot both be telling the truth.

Additionally, not because they genuinely think that it is an orange or a pear or because it looks that way to them and they are convinced that it is that and maybe have good reasons for holding that opinion, does it make it that. The fact of the matter is that it is neither an orange nor a pear.

The two people have their perspectives yes and may be able to explain why they are convinced it is an apple or a pear but guess what? They are both wrong. Their opinion or how the fruit appears to them, does not make it true. Even if a whole room believed either of them, this would still not make it true. For, the fact of the matter remains that the fruit on the table is an apple! This truth will never change and it is not in any way influenced by how they view the fruit.

It thereby follows that there is no such thing as subjective truth or truth being how you see it. In short, there is no such thing as “your truth”, “my truth” or “their truth”. There is “your opinion or perspective”, “my opinion or perspective” and “their opinion and perspective” but we cannot take our views and present it as truth. Our views can coincide and be in alignment with truth, in which case, what we think will be right but if our views are not in accordance with what is true, then they are not truth and should never be classified as being truth.

As a second illustration, imagine that an incident transpired which was witnessed by two people. When asked to relate what happened, they gave different accounts, based on their perspective! It cannot be that both of them are telling the truth because truth never contradicts. It is always consistent. They may not have meant to deliberately lie but the facts may be skewed by their own prejudices, background, viewpoint and many other factors. It is either that one has presented what he thought he saw based on his perspective but it is not true or that both presented a mixture of events where some statements were true but some were not (although they thought them to be) or it could even be that both gave presentations that they thought were true but was NOT.

Imagine that the incident was an altercation that took place in the streets, which attracted the attention of nearby Police. Anton was seated on the left side of the road when it happened and stated that he saw the man in a black coat, cross the road and approach the man in a red coat. The man in the black coat spoke to him for a bit (although he could not hear what he was saying) and the man in the red coat then dealt him a blow, when the fight broke out. He therefore states that the man in the red coat was wrong.

Bryan was on the right side of the road waiting on a bus and insists that it was the man in the black coat that started everything. He said that he saw the man in the black coat cross the road and state that he was going to pick a fight with the man in the red coat. He then crossed the road and started using curse words to the man in the red coat, insulting him, provoking him, even threatening him and his family and daring him to hit him. Bryan therefore states that it was the man in the black coat that instigated the whole thing.

Anton and Bryan’s stories are not consistent but they both say that what they are saying is true. Yet because truth never contradicts, it cannot be that the conclusion that they both draw is true.

Upon looking at the footage of the area and holding the two men in the altercation for questioning, the Police realize that the truth was that the men in the black and red coats were actors and simply practising their acting for an upcoming role.

Truth never contradicts. The above story was not a case of “Anton’s truth” and “Bryan’s truth” but a case where Anton and Bryan had only snippets of truth, viewpoints that were shaped from their perspective based on where they were positioned at the time and also their limited information. The conclusion that they each drew therefore, although they were genuinely convinced that it was the truth was not. When all the facts were presented, the whole truth became apparent to the Police.

You may then ask the question, who or what determines what is true? This is a lovely question and there is an answer. God, the one who created you and is all-wise without error, declares what is true. Whatever he says is true is true. The best place to find truth on any matter therefore is in the Word of God the Bible. As the God of truth, whatever God says is truth, we can wholeheartedly embrace it as truth.

(Written on 16th December, 2022)

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