RiverSide Church - (At The River) - Princeton NC

Christian vs Government, Romans 13 sermon

·28 min·2 clips

Preacher Kevin Phillips describes how Emperor Nero used burning Christians as human candles in his garden.

This episode is a sermon from Riverside Church's 'At the River' podcast, delivered live by Preacher Kevin Phillips. The episode opens with the church's location and invitation before Phillips establishes the sermon's foundation on sola scriptura, sola fide, sola Christus, sola gratia, and soli Deo gloria. He announces the topic will combine religion and politics through Romans 13. Phillips reads Romans 13:1 about being subject to governing authorities, explaining this was written to Christians under Nero's brutal Roman rule where Christians were burned alive as human candles. He argues that Paul's focus was preaching the gospel, not political revolution. The sermon addresses contemporary political polarization, with Phillips sharing his own argument with his wife about candidates and Roe v. Wade. He emphasizes that Christians' hope should be in Christ, not political candidates. Phillips explains that all governments—including communist China, socialist Venezuela, and others—are instituted by God according to Romans 13:1-2. He discusses the 'three views' of Romans 13: complete separation from government, separation of church and state, or Christian cultural engagement. The sermon includes practical applications about respecting police and political offices regardless of who holds them. Phillips critiques how governments can seek worship, using Karl Marx's bread experiment with orphans as an example. He concludes that God remains sovereign regardless of political circumstances.

As heard by us

A candid Romans 13 sermon asks Christians to place allegiance to Christ above political fear and partisan hope.

Romans 13 frames a searching sermon about Christian allegiance, governing authority, political anger, and the urge to treat candidates as saviors. The sharpest moment is also the most personal.

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Why you'd press play

You want Romans 13 brought straight into the heat of elections, governing authority and Christian allegiance.

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