The term "sanctuary" in the context of the church holds significant theological and historical importance. It is derived from the Latin word "sanctuarium," meaning a sacred or holy place. In the biblical tradition, the concept of a sanctuary is deeply rooted in the idea of a designated space where God's presence dwells and where His people can gather for worship, prayer, and communion with Him.

Old Testament Foundations

The concept of a sanctuary is first introduced in the Old Testament with the Tabernacle, a portable dwelling place for the divine presence during the Israelites' journey through the wilderness. In Exodus 25:8 , God instructs Moses, "And they are to make a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them." This sanctuary was a tangible representation of God's desire to be among His people and served as the focal point for worship and sacrifice.

Later, the permanent Temple in Jerusalem, built by Solomon, became the central sanctuary for the Israelites. In 1 Kings 8:10-11 , during the dedication of the Temple, "the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand there to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD." The Temple was considered the ultimate earthly sanctuary, symbolizing God's presence and His covenant with Israel.

New Testament Understanding

In the New Testament, the concept of sanctuary evolves with the coming of Jesus Christ. The physical structures of the Tabernacle and Temple find their fulfillment in Christ Himself. John 1:14 states, "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." The Greek word for "dwelling" is "σκηνόω" (skenoo), which is related to the word for "tabernacle," indicating that Jesus is the true sanctuary where God's presence resides.

Furthermore, the New Testament expands the idea of sanctuary to include the body of believers, the Church. In 1 Corinthians 3:16 , Paul writes, "Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?" Here, the sanctuary is not confined to a physical location but is embodied in the community of believers who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

The Church as Sanctuary

Throughout Christian history, church buildings have been considered sanctuaries, places set apart for worship and the sacraments. These spaces are often designed to reflect the holiness and majesty of God, serving as a refuge for believers seeking solace and spiritual renewal. The architecture, art, and liturgy within these sanctuaries aim to elevate the hearts and minds of worshippers toward God.

The sanctuary within a church building typically includes the altar, where the Eucharist is celebrated, and the pulpit, from which the Word of God is proclaimed. These elements underscore the dual focus of Christian worship: the sacrament and the Word.

Spiritual Significance

The sanctuary, whether understood as a physical space or the collective body of believers, holds profound spiritual significance. It is a place of encounter with the divine, where believers can experience God's grace, forgiveness, and love. Hebrews 10:19-22 encourages believers to "enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body." This passage highlights the access believers have to God's presence through Christ, the ultimate sanctuary.

In summary, the concept of sanctuary in the church encompasses both the physical spaces dedicated to worship and the spiritual reality of God's presence among His people. It is a testament to God's desire to dwell with humanity and the transformative power of His presence in the lives of believers.Exodus 25:8
And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
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Leviticus 19:30
You shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.
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Leviticus 21:12
Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is on him: I am the LORD.
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Numbers 3:28
In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.
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Numbers 4:12
And they shall take all the instruments of ministry, with which they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put them on a bar:
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Numbers 7:9
But to the sons of Kohath he gave none: because the service of the sanctuary belonging to them was that they should bear on their shoulders.
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Numbers 8:19
And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come near to the sanctuary.
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Numbers 10:21
And the Kohathites set forward, bearing the sanctuary: and the other did set up the tabernacle against they came.
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Numbers 18:1,5
And the LORD said to Aaron, You and your sons and your father's house with you shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.
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Numbers 19:20
But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD: the water of separation has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean.
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1 Chronicles 9:29
Some of them also were appointed to oversee the vessels, and all the instruments of the sanctuary, and the fine flour, and the wine, and the oil, and the frankincense, and the spices.
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1 Chronicles 22:19
Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God; arise therefore, and build you the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the LORD.
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1 Chronicles 24:5
Thus were they divided by lot, one sort with another; for the governors of the sanctuary, and governors of the house of God, were of the sons of Eleazar, and of the sons of Ithamar.
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1 Chronicles 28:10
Take heed now; for the LORD has chosen you to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.
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2 Chronicles 20:8
And they dwelled therein, and have built you a sanctuary therein for your name, saying,
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2 Chronicles 26:18
And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said to him, It appertains not to you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for you have trespassed; neither shall it be for your honor from the LORD God.
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2 Chronicles 29:21
And they brought seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he goats, for a sin offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And he commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer them on the altar of the LORD.
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2 Chronicles 30:8,19
Now be you not stiff necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he has sanctified for ever: and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you.
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Nehemiah 10:39
For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the corn, of the new wine, and the oil, to the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the porters, and the singers: and we will not forsake the house of our God.
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Psalm 20:2
Send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion;
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Psalm 28:2
Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry to you, when I lift up my hands toward your holy oracle.
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Psalm 63:2
To see your power and your glory, so as I have seen you in the sanctuary.
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Psalm 68:24
They have seen your goings, O God; even the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary.
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Psalm 73:17
Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.
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Psalm 74:3,7
Lift up your feet to the perpetual desolations; even all that the enemy has done wickedly in the sanctuary.
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Psalm 77:13
Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?
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Psalm 78:69
And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he has established for ever.
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Psalm 150:1
Praise you the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
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Isaiah 16:12
And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail.
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Isaiah 63:18
The people of your holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down your sanctuary.
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Lamentations 2:7,20
The LORD has cast off his altar, he has abhorred his sanctuary, he has given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; they have made a noise in the house of the LORD, as in the day of a solemn feast.
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Lamentations 4:1
How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street.
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Ezekiel 5:11
Why, as I live, said the Lord GOD; Surely, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things, and with all your abominations, therefore will I also diminish you; neither shall my eye spare, neither will I have any pity.
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Ezekiel 42:20
He measured it by the four sides: it had a wall round about, five hundred reeds long, and five hundred broad, to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place.
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Ezekiel 44:5,27
And the LORD said to me, Son of man, mark well, and behold with your eyes, and hear with your ears all that I say to you concerning all the ordinances of the house of the LORD, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entering in of the house, with every going forth of the sanctuary.
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Ezekiel 45:3
And of this measure shall you measure the length of five and twenty thousand, and the breadth of ten thousand: and in it shall be the sanctuary and the most holy place.
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Ezekiel 48:8,21
And by the border of Judah, from the east side to the west side, shall be the offering which you shall offer of five and twenty thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the other parts, from the east side to the west side: and the sanctuary shall be in the middle of it.
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Daniel 8:11,13,14
Yes, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of the sanctuary was cast down.
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Daniel 9:17,26
Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of your servant, and his supplications, and cause your face to shine on your sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.
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Daniel 11:31
And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that makes desolate.
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Hebrews 8:2
A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
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Hebrews 9:1,2
Then truly the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
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In Sanctuary
... by the word of your Tribune to defend the sanctuary from rioters while I am absent,
and hear whether the Emperor really bids you to desecrate the church of God ...
/.../chapter xxvii in sanctuary.htm

Symbolism of the Church Building
... The choir tells us of the worship and the "joy and felicity" of the "Church expectant."
The sanctuary tells us of that for which the Church in Paradise is ...
/.../regester/the worship of the church/symbolism of the church building.htm

Hymns of the Holy Eastern Church
... From this plan it will be seen at a glance that a Greek Church consists of four
parts: (1) The Bema or Sanctuary, which contains the altar, and on either side ...
//christianbookshelf.org/brownlie/hymns of the holy eastern church/iv.htm

It is not Permitted to a Layman to Enter the Sanctuary Holy Altar. ...
... Church as well as in the Greek for many centuries it was the constant custom, ratified
by various councils, that lay-men are to be excluded from the sanctuary ...
/.../schaff/the seven ecumenical councils/canon lxix it is not.htm

The Worship of the Church. The Religion of the Primitive ...
... of a superannuated dispensation, they rejected their aid in the service of the
sanctuary. ... of the temple worship as only befitting the childhood of the Church. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/killen/the ancient church/chapter i the worship of.htm

Presbyterian Worship Outside of the Established Church of Scotland ...
... proceeded to urge upon the courts of the Church, and upon individual ministers,
the duty of guarding anxiously the simplicity of worship in the sanctuary. ...
/.../johnston/presbyterian worship/chapter viii presbyterian worship outside.htm

Excursus on the Public Discipline or Exomologesis of the Early ...
... This was anciently called by several names, as Bema or tribunal, from its being
raised above the body of the church, and Sacrarium or Sanctuary. ...
/.../schaff/the seven ecumenical councils/excursus on the public discipline.htm

Introduction to the Two Homilies on Eutropius.
... There was but one place to which he could naturally turn in his distress"the sanctuary
of the Church; but by the cruel irony of his fate, a law of his own ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/introduction to the two homilies.htm

Arrangement and Furniture of the Church
... In parish churches it is placed within the sanctuary at the north or "gospel ... in the
Christian Ministry, and of the doctrine of Holy Orders our Church holds and ...
/.../regester/the worship of the church/arrangement and furniture of the.htm

Third Exile and Flight of Athanasius.
... houses. But now the general with the soldiery forced his way into the church,
and surrounded the sanctuary in order to arrest me. The ...
/.../the ecclesiastical history of theodoret/chapter x third exile and flight.htm

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