I was once again asked the question, what does the bible say about tattoos? And as usual I responded back with the question, why? The young man explained that he had been told that if he was going to be a Christian he could not get a tattoo (mark his body). As the nice guy I am I quickly pulled out “The Book” and showed him what God’s word says specifically about tattoos. Boy was he surprised when I showed him Leviticus 19:28. He thought that the person that told him was a total nut case (in his words). Well maybe they were, lets look further.

But knowing me I couldn’t let it go. I asked him the read a few passages above and below Leviticus 19:28.

“26 “Do not eat meat that has not been drained of its blood.
“Do not practice fortune-telling or witchcraft.
27 “Do not trim off the hair on your temples or trim your beards.
28 “Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the Lord.
29 “Do not defile your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will be filled with prostitution and wickedness.
30 “Keep my Sabbath days of rest, and show reverence toward my sanctuary. I am the Lord.
31 “Do not defile yourselves by turning to mediums or to those who consult the spirits of the dead. I am the Lord your God.
32 “Stand up in the presence of the elderly, and show respect for the aged. Fear your God. I am the Lord.”

After he read, I asked him if he understood what was written and he said yes. Prompting me to ask him to explain. He stated, “These appear to be rules that God gave us to live by and that we shouldn’t break any of them. But if I’m not to break God’s rules shouldn’t I know them?, …for the most part I’d never heard of these rules before. So what gives?” And I cheerfully replied, “Now that’s a good question”.

I dug deeper with the lad and asked him if his father was clean-shaven and of course he said without hesitation, “Yes”. So I asked him to read verse 27 and if he would kindly explain it to me. He was completely speechless. Not believing what he had just read, he asked if it was a sin to shave and I answered (short answer), “If you lived as a Jewish man back then”.

Then I followed with the question, How many ear piecing are OK? One, Two or Six! A hole in the ear is a hole in the ear. And he agreed that putting a hole in your ear is a form of marking the body. He eagerly jumped in stating that both his mother and grandmother had pierced ears. So what’s my point?

The point that I was making to the young man was this. First, we need to understand how to read scripture. Second, we must realize the; When and Why it was written. That means keeping it in the context of its original purpose. And third, finding how to applies to our lives today.

The passages we read were specific laws for those times. They were specifically given to the Israelites to help separate them from the practices and superstitions of the heathens of that region in those days. Not to impose unnecessary rules for the sake of control.

So as I said as the third point, how do you apply these passages to our lives? Easy, we are to refrain from those activities that would associate us with pagan activities. Let me explain further, in Jesus’ day it was common for men to have long hair. Just fifty years ago if a man had long hair he was marked as an anti-American, draft dodging, drug freak. And guess what? That was a pretty accurate description for most the part. Yet today hair length is pretty much irrelevant as long as it does not effect ones job or safety. POINT: Cultural differences and pagan practices very through out time and the world.

Look at 1 Corinthians 11:5-6, Paul urged the church to enforce a new law, the wearing of head coverings on their women. Think for just a moment, women do not typically cover their heads today, do they? Is that law void now? The reason women were required to cover their heads (short answer) was to separate them from the temple prostitutes of that community in that time period. I hope we don’t have temple prostitutes running around today.

Lets get to the root of the question? Is it a sin to have a tattoo? I do not have any tattoos, yet that does not make any difference to whether it is a sin or not. So before I answer, lets look at some more scripture for a deeper understanding of God’s desire for His children.

1 Corinthians 3:16-18, 16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 17 God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
18 Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise.

Romans 6:12-14, 12 Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

After reading these scriptures we can clearly see that God does not desire us to do anything that would harm the body or give the appearance of sin. God’s temple is holy (set apart) and we are that temple. Does that mean we shouldn’t get a tattoo? Based on all this and Leviticus in context, I believe that is yes. But (BIG BUT) wait there is more to this.

What about the person that has a pagan symbol on their person and now is a child of God. Should they leave the mark, remove it or ink over it (changing the design)? If it’s OK to remove or cover it, then it’s OK to get another tattoo. Sin is sin! Damaging the body is damaging the body.

Think about this, keeping the holy (set apart) thing in context also means that if we consume; Twinkies, cigarettes, alcohol, soda beverages, and yes even three musketeers, or any other product filled with dyes, preservatives and other unnatural byproducts; we are just as guilty of harming the temple.

Please don’t get the wrong idea; I do not encourage or endorse the practice of tattooing. But if a person has one, I, just a Christ must look at the persons heart. I do not know their circumstances or level of spiritual wisdom (milk or solid food) to pass judgment on their appearance alone.

So what does this all mean? I pray that the Grace of God will forgive my short sightedness and that His Grace will suffice. If you have a tattoo, you have a tattoo. You cannot change that. If you are planning to getting a tattoo, that is between you and God. If you are a believer, take some serious time to pray and ask for His direction and wisdom on the subject. I assure you He will open your eyes to His desires if you allow Him too.

And no, a tattoo in itself does not separate you from God. Just remember, we are to be in the world not of it.

Grace and peace to you.