Thread: The place we worship --> Sanctuary???

Ought the Physical place in which we worship be called a 'sanctuary.'

I.e. 'the pews are in the sanctuary', 'my child is sitting in the sanctuary.'

????

I won't call it that, myself. I call it the "auditorium", or "the main room".

Actually, I don't refer to it by name with certain persons, because once, one of the elderly folks was a little unhappy with me referring to it by such a "common" designation. Sometimes a little wisdom...

Could we give reasons why we shouldn't call it a sanctuary if we shouldn't? And reasons why we should call it a sanctuary if we should?

I don't call it that. Sanctuary implies a place of holiness. It is just a room.

I call it the sanctuary, but have no real reason for this other than as a way to designate it. I would love to hear what we should be calling it.

Isn't the meaning originally one of safety?

Exo 21:13 But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee.
Exo 21:14 But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.

With the idea that God's temple is the embassy of a Great King, and under normal conditions the State doesn't have any more rights than say we have in the Swedish Embassy here in the States? That the Swedish Embassy is foreign soil?

Perhaps that's just a minor part, or even just a word that's lost it's original meaning.

I call it a sanctuary, understanding that it comes from the Latin sanctus (Greek: hagios) and that the sanctus (hagios) is that which is set apart for God's service. Since the room is set apart for God's (worship) service, I feel comfortable calling it a sanctuary.

Set apart for God's service, can you not worship outside, or in someone's home? Or have a congregational meeting in the same place in which you worship?

I like the idea of sanctuary being both a place set aside for worship and a place of refuge.

Call me crazy and impertinent if you will but I find this all a bit silly.

I use auditorium as well. Some of the old Covenanters called it the meeting room (which was in the meeting house- not 'the church', since the church is people and not bricks).

Theologically it is not a sanctuary, but just a room.

-----Added 12/10/2008 at 02:53:29 EST-----

Originally Posted by Backwoods Presbyterian

Call me crazy and impertinent if you will but I find this all a bit silly.

So pious.

I prefer "hall" or "auditorium". Our rented "Hall" regularly accommodates a math school, a Montessori school, various community groups and (twice a week) a dog obedience school in the same room we hold our services. The only true holiness in our Church building is the result of the Spirit's work in the hearts of the saved sinners who attend on the Lord's Day. The rest is just bricks, mortar, plaster, purple paint and peeling linoleum.

Originally Posted by nleshelman

I use auditorium as well. Some of the old Covenanters called it the meeting room (which was in the meeting house- not 'the church', since the church is people and not bricks).

Theologically it is not a sanctuary, but just a room.

-----Added 12/10/2008 at 02:53:29 EST-----

Originally Posted by Backwoods Presbyterian

Call me crazy and impertinent if you will but I find this all a bit silly.

So pious.

Puritans named it a meeting room or meeting house.

Originally Posted by Romans922

Set apart for God's service, can you not worship outside, or in someone's home? Or have a congregational meeting in the same place in which you worship?

Of course you can. I don't think I implied you couldn't. For me the sanctuary is the room which has the primary purpose for its existence as a place where the believers (sancti) regularly and publicly gather for the worship of God.

Originally Posted by Whitefield

Originally Posted by Romans922

Set apart for God's service, can you not worship outside, or in someone's home? Or have a congregational meeting in the same place in which you worship?

Of course you can. I don't think I implied you couldn't. For me the sanctuary is the room which has the primary purpose for its existence as a place where the believers (sancti) regularly and publicly gather for the worship of God.

Yes, but Scripturally how can you call it that? Or what in Scripture gives you a thought that you could call it that?



For others, what Scripture shows that you can't call it that (if you believe you shouldn't)?

Originally Posted by Romans922

Originally Posted by Whitefield

Originally Posted by Romans922

Set apart for God's service, can you not worship outside, or in someone's home? Or have a congregational meeting in the same place in which you worship?

Of course you can. I don't think I implied you couldn't. For me the sanctuary is the room which has the primary purpose for its existence as a place where the believers (sancti) regularly and publicly gather for the worship of God.

Yes, but Scripturally how can you call it that? Or what in Scripture gives you a thought that you could call it that?



For others, what Scripture shows that you can't call it that (if you believe you shouldn't)?

I think I would only need scriptural justification if I were requiring you to call it a sanctuary. Likewise, if I were requiring you to call it an auditorium, a meeting room, or Room A, I would need scriptural justification to bind you to that term also. I don't intend to require anyone to call it a sanctuary. I was just giving the reason why I'm comfortable using the term. I now realize your posts contain the the words "ought" and "should". I think I slipped over here from another post that was asking for an opinion on another subject, and I failed to notice you are asking about requirements. In my mind there is no requirement to call that room anything.

Originally Posted by Backwoods Presbyterian

Call me crazy and impertinent if you will but I find this all a bit silly.

I will! You're crazy and impertinent.
If you need to be called names again or insulted in any way I'll be glad to serve.

Nothing more to see here. Keep moving. As you were.

My concern is this about calling it a sanctuary: the sanctuary (given by its name) suggests a holy place. The physical sanctuary (of the OT) has been done away with in Christ or fulfilled in Christ. Christ is the sanctuary. There is now a way for all of us to enter into the holy of holies by the blood of Christ (He has opened that way once for all), but it is not a physical place in a building? Christ has sent His Spirit into our hearts of which now God's Tabernacling Presence is in us. The Spirit, in worship, lifts up our hearts before the throne of grace, through the blood of Jesus Christ we come, and we worship the Lord. Spiritually we are present in worship before Christ and the Father and the Spirit. That is the sanctuary.

It is somewhat odd to call a place in a phyiscal building the sanctuary because what if you decided to worship outside or at someone's home? Do you call that now a sanctuary? Oh and include the fact that there are now thousands of sanctuarys around this earth.

The fact of the matter is that the sanctuary is Christ and we come spiritually before His throne to worship, and because of the Holy Spirit (Pentacost) wherever we worship we are guarenteed that God is with us. Wherever 2 or 3 are gathered Christ is there. Why because of the Spirit. Not because of the building. Which means you can worship outside, down the street, in someone's home and it doesn't have to be a room in a church building. Isn't that the point of the abrogation of the OC sacrificial system (temple) and the giving of the Holy SPirit? That people didn't have to come to a specific place to worship. They can worship wherever because they have the Holy Spirit in their hearts. Is a church building a holy place (sanctuary)?

A relevant scripture... not that it answers the question necessarily; it's just relevant:

Joh 4:19 The woman said to him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.
Joh 4:20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship."
Joh 4:21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.
Joh 4:22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.
Joh 4:23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
Joh 4:24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

I think the conversation might be fairly moot today simply upon this basis: to how many people will it even occur that "sanctuary" is derived from sanctus, and therefore refers to a holy place? Unless we bring it up and question it, it will never occur to them and can continue to remain a purely architectural term. Words change. Sanctuary, narthex, nave...the meanings won't occur to most.

It's a room. It needs to be called something. If it's the room that is set apart for the use of public worship, then we have set it apart -- thus, is sanctuary truly an inappropriate name. It is "the set apart" room. If someone understands it thus, is it really so bad? At the very least, "church" is surely an inappropriate name for a building, but its a much more convenient shorthand than saying "I am going to the building in which the church customarily meets." Also, sanctuary might simply be more convenient shorthand than, "The room in the 'church' where the congregation gathers to conduct holy worship."

In the end, I'm not opposed to it. Etymologically speaking it might not make sense for protestants to call it that, but, 1.) Words change in signification (imagine explaining to all the little old ladies that we're not calling the big room the "sanctuary" any more...), and 2.) We can also attach a different signification to a word.

(My church building has one room...so it's not really an issue. We just say, "let's go inside")

If you go to Joel Osteen's church, you can call it the basketball court!



Okay, I'm sorry.

Originally Posted by 21st Century Calvinist

Originally Posted by Backwoods Presbyterian

Call me crazy and impertinent if you will but I find this all a bit silly.

I will! You're crazy and impertinent.
If you need to be called names again or insulted in any way I'll be glad to serve.

Nothing more to see here. Keep moving. As you were.

It's a matter of Christian liberty to call the main meeting room of a local church a "sanctuary". In using this designation I do not mean it to be THE sanctuary, as in the Temple of old or the only place Christ can be met, etc.

It is a sanctuary, however, indeed a holy place, not by virtue of itself, but because of what is designated for that room in the life of a body of believers. More holy than others? Well, I don't know, but it is more special in so far as our covenant community is concerned.

Sure, worship happens in multiple places, however, we don't have another joint worship service of the whole church anywhere but in the sanctuary. Yes the Word can be preached anywhere and the sacraments administered in various meetings of the church, however, the church sanctuary has that on a regular basis and is identified with the administration of these things most vividly happening every Lord's Day morning. Beyond that, we take the vows of marriage in this place. We mourn our dead in this place, we even have our viewings before the actual "funeral" service in the sanctuary. Officers are ordained there, graduations of our Christian School happen there, etc. etc.

Indeed, it is a sanctuary for us.

When I am worshipping with the interior locals, I call it a "stink-uary."


Thank God for soap.

Originally Posted by Prufrock

I think the conversation might be fairly moot today simply upon this basis: to how many people will it even occur that "sanctuary" is derived from sanctus, and therefore refers to a holy place? Unless we bring it up and question it, it will never occur to them and can continue to remain a purely architectural term. Words change. Sanctuary, narthex, nave...the meanings won't occur to most.

I think this is very true. It has to have some kind of a name, especially when you are describing it in a building project! I don't think people really make the kind of leap that would have been more likely in the 17th century, because language has changed.

I actually think that more people have a mental image of an auditorium, and are more likely to infer from that name that the guy standing up there is giving a speech, than to view the room as being more holy because of "sanctuary."

I think this is an important thread. Because words mean something. What you call the meeting place influences what you do inside. "Auditorium" or "the stage" (as part of the room) are particularly troublesome.