Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study
Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study

The Sin We’re All Pretty Good at Hiding | The Gospels | Matthew 5:33–37

September 28, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The Sin We’re All Pretty Good at Hiding

Everyone thinks lying is wrong, and yet we all do it. In this episode of Ten Minute Bible Talks, Keith Simon walks through Matthew 5:33–37, where Jesus addresses oaths and truth-telling in the Sermon on the Mount. The central argument is that lying is not a minor or respectable sin—it is demonic in origin, and it matters deeply to God because God is the God of truth.

The Law of the Fire

Before diving into the passage, Simon reframes how we should think about God's commands. He borrows a distinction from Dorothy Sayers, a friend of C. S. Lewis, between two kinds of laws. The "law of the stop sign" is arbitrary and flexible—human authorities set the rule and can change the penalty. But the "law of the fire" is different: if you put your hand in a fire, you get burned, and no legislature can vote that away. The penalty is built into the act itself.

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:05) **Welcome and Introduction to Lying as a "Respectable Sin"** - Keith Simon introduces today's topic: lying, a sin we all commit but often downplay.
  • 2 (01:04) **The Law of the Fire vs. The Law of the Stop Sign** - Keith uses an analogy from Dorothy Sayers to reframe God's commands as protective, not arbitrary.
  • 3 (03:34) **Reading the Passage: Matthew 5:33–37** - Keith reads the core text on oaths and truth-telling.
  • 4 (04:12) **Lying as a "Respectable Sin"** - The problem: we've made peace with lying because it doesn't scandalize us, but God takes it seriously.
  • 5 (05:58) **The Purpose of Promises: Binding Yourself to Something Bigger** - Truthfulness means keeping promises, even when feelings fade.
  • 6 (07:12) **The Many Ways We Lie** - A catalog of common, often accepted forms of deception.
  • 7 (08:37) **Why Lying Matters: It Comes from the Devil** - Jesus connects lying to Satan, making it a serious spiritual issue.

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Show Notes

What counts as a lie? Why does God care so much about something we often consider a “respectable sin”? And what if God’s commands aren’t meant to restrict us, but protect us? In Matthew 5:33–37, Jesus exposes the deeper heart of dishonesty and calls us to a life marked by truthfulness, integrity, and consistency.


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Passage: Matthew 5:33–37

Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study

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