Palace Beautiful

PALACE BEAUTIFUL REPRESENTS 

What is the Church?

According to Bunyan, the church is meant to be a place of  for weary travelers along the way.

Our English word “church” is the Greek word “ecclesia”, and it literally means .

Church is not a place we go to, . (The family of God)

The church is  – the physical representation of Jesus on the earth today. (1 Corinthians 12:27)

The Virtues of the Church (represented by the residents of Palace Beautiful)

•  – the church is to watch and care for the souls of weary pilgrims, bearing one another’s burdens, and fulfilling the law of Christ to love one another. (Galatians 6:2, John 13:34-35)

•  – 1) “the freedom to decide what should be done in a particular situation” 2) “the quality of behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid causing offense”

• • The church is meant to show in what it receives as true and right, and in the way we interact with one another, giving deference and pursuing unity. (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, Ephesians 4:2-3)

•  – “the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason; to have good judgment”

•  – the quality of being religious or reverent; the act of showing devotion to God

• • The church and its members, out of love and devotion to God, are meant to  fully and completely to Him.

• (love) – the church is meant to function from a place of love – love for God, first and foremost, and also love for one another, expressed in the . (1 John 3:16)

The Function of the Church (represented by what transpires at Palace Beautiful)

•  (1 Timothy 4:11-13, 2 Timothy 3:16-17)

•  (Ephesians 6:11-18, Ephesians 4:11-13)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. In the story, who built Palace Beautiful, and why did He build it?

2. In relation to our Christian pilgrimage of following Jesus, what does Palace Beautiful represent? Do you think Bunyan’s description of why Palace Beautiful was built is an accurate description for what it represents? Why or why not?

3. Is there any significance in Palace Beautiful being built at the top of Hill Difficulty?

4. What role does Watchful play at Palace Beautiful? What do you think he represents? Why does he question Christian before allowing him into the palace?

5. Who or what is represented by the character Discretion, and what is the significance of Christian being interviewed by her before being allowed to enter Palace Beautiful?

6. Christian also meets Prudence, Piety, and Charity. What do these names mean, and what might they represent in relation to the symbolism of Palace Beautiful?

7. During his time at Palace Beautiful, Christian spends a significant amount of time recounting his journey thus far and all that he’s learned along the way. What is the significance and importance of this?

8. What is the significance of the meal they share together and how Bunyan describes it?

9. At Palace Beautiful, Christian sleeps in a room called Peace. What is the significance of him sleeping in this room?

10. What does the study represent? What does the record of the house represent? What is the significance of them reading to him from the record of the house?

11. What does the armory represent, and why is it important? What do the various instruments used by heroes tell us about how God equips His people? Why was it important that Christian not continue on his journey until he had been equipped from the armory?

12. What was the significance of the view of the Delectable Mountains, and why was it significant?