QUESTION :: ARE TATOOS SINFUL?
Do these tattoos bring glory to God, or are they merely a person’s attempt at ‘fitting in’, bringing attention to one’s self, or a highly popular form of masochism?
Question :: Are tatoos sinful?
Before I tackle this subject, I think it is important to be up front about my own situation. I, myself, have several tattoos, all of which were received after I was a Christian. I have often heard of individuals that came to Christ whose arms were sleeved with tattoos and when questioned about it, they would say something like, “they’re just battle scars. I am not sure if they meant that the tattoos they had were anti-Christian, or at least of a vulgar nature unbefitting of a Christian, or that they felt tattoos in and of themselves are wrong to have. Regardless, it is an issue that many Christians struggle with. This is evidenced by my own experiences as a Christian who is tattooed and pierced. Yes, I too have body piercings; my lip, eyebrow and nose. With this in mind, I will try to be as objective as possible, in spite of my own personal decisions.
In the course of researching this subject, I ran across some interesting websites chronically some of the Bible verses and principles that were either in contrast to, or possible support of, the practice of tattoos. One in particular, whose webpage was most appropriately titled “Can a Christian Have a Tattoo?”, cited this scripture, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.” – Leviticus 19:28. Now, this seems pretty clear cut and to the point, until one reads a little more of the context, as the site recommends. For instance, just a little earlier in the chapter we see that it says in verse 9, “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.” And still more, in verse 19 it goes on to say “Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.” Now, I am not sure how many farmers are reading this, but one must be a little taken back by this prohibition. As well, in verse 26 it says, “Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.”: “Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it.” And in verse 27: “Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.” Now we know this is a little more ridiculous for us to abide by. Accordingly, we would all be willful partakers in sinful acts all the time.
We all know that there are many civil and ceremonial laws that we do not practice from the Old Testament, since they are mere shadows of the substance of Truth we have in Christ. But I am not here to give a lesson on Hermeneutics and interpretations concerning the Old Testament. With that in mind, it is important to understand that not everything that is given to us in the book of Jewish Laws are intended for us today.
The real question concerning tattoos (and perhaps body piercings-if one would like to throw them into the mix), is whether it is body mutilation or body beautification. Do these tattoos bring glory to God, or are they merely a person’s attempt at ‘fitting in’, bringing attention to one’s self, and a highly popular form of masochism? I am not going to lie, the issue draws us to a fine line where sometimes all of these are in play. And I am not going to mislead my fellow Christians into thinking my motivations were always of an immaculate nature. I must admit I feel more comfortable with my appearance given the ‘type of people’ I associate with. Whether it is wearing a Windsor knot and a double-breasted suit or something that the band Slipknot would wear in a black suit, I guess it depends on the accepted ‘norms’ of any particular social group. Not to compare inking up the body with suiting up, but I do feel there is a correlation. It is all about being ‘in’ the world, but not ‘of’ this world. If having tattoos makes one ‘of’ this world, then do not get them. Whether they do of necessity (assuming they are of a nature that is worldly) is up to the reader. I myself am inked up in the world, not as if I am ‘of’ it.
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March 8th, 2006 at 9:21 am
i personally think its ok. im a christian and have several tattoos.
i personally think its ok. im a christian and have several tattoos.
<3 kayla
March 26th, 2006 at 7:39 pm
i thought your body was your temple and your to keep it clean of all bad stuff,like smoking drinking and holes and markings, ya but what about ear piercing,see so help me out here rob!
August 12th, 2006 at 10:17 pm
I thank you for the examples and agree that tattooes are OK for a Christian…Revelation tells us that Christ himself has a tatoo on His thigh that reads “Lord of Lords”
November 15th, 2006 at 10:52 am
doesent the bible say thet if you are in christ the you are to appear christ like…if you have marking on the flesh it should be covered…for you are the temple god…
December 4th, 2006 at 9:49 pm
I have a cross tattooed on my left thumb and M.L.A.S tattooed om my right thumb. MLAS stands for My Lord And Saviour. I use these as a way for every one that sees my hands sees my faith. A handshake is how most people meet. So when people meet me they know my name and my faith. Oh and about alcohol. Wine was drank in the bible! The scriptures say “Drink the wine, but do not become drunk with it” So in others words in moderation things like alcohol and the such are fine untill they are abused. All things in themselves are pure. We as humans add a social stigmata alot of the time. But we all have our own convictions. If tattoos and piercings are your conviction of God, go for it. The people of this world don’t mean anything. God is our judge. And this world is only a flash in the pan is to compare to eternity
January 29th, 2007 at 12:34 am
I can say that my first 2 tattoos i don’t regret, but i know i could have made a better choice. My first tattoo is on my chest that symbolizes my grandparents that have passed away and the time that we spent together. I know the infamous script of Leviticus says not to mark yourself with the dead. Then my second tattoo on my right arm has cards and flames, dice and kanji for “luck”. Then my back, at the top is a celtic piece that has two arms in celtic knots with a hand on each meeting at the middle with a heart and a crown above. To me its me and my wife coming together in love to serve God!. Below it is a big angel looking over two birds carrying a banner of my little girls name “Zoe”. I personally agree that if tattoos can be used as a tool of ministry then power to it!
February 4th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
My husband and I have just gotten a tattoo on our wrist. It is written in hebrew and mine means beloved and his means lover. Like in Song of Solomon where it talks about Solomon (the lover) and his beloved. For us it is not just a little reminder of our love for each other but also of our love for the Lord and how much we worship Him and appreciate everyhting He’s done for us. We know that God brought us together and made us for each other, so for us it is glorifying God, not each other or ourselves. In my personal opinion, tattoos, peircings, or any other form of body art are “ok” for a christian person as long as it is for the sole purpose of glorifying the Lord, because that is our purpose in life as christians. We live for the Lord therefore everything we say and do should be for His purpose to benefit His kingdom. Also, as christians, if we are close to the Lord and sensitive to His voice, we will (or at least should) pray about it and hear God’s conviction, good or bad. So, in my opinion, it is a personal decision and if you pray about it, I’m sure the Holy Spirit will guide you.
February 28th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
You state: “The real question concerning tattoos, is whether it is body mutilation or body beautification.”
How could a tattoo ever be “body beautification?” We are made in the image of God. Do you think God needs us to make His image prettier with man’s drawings?
The only Godly tattoo would be one that covers an ungodly tattoo.
February 28th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
To the comment above…wouldn’t that be saying that we can not make God’s creation extra beatiful through art, design, and imagination. A potter uses clay…God’s beautiful creation…and molds it into another beautiful object…is that object less Godly? To me tattoo’s are just an expression of art. If someone wants to use their skin as the canvas…so be it. In the realm of things, I don’t think God really cares. Think about it, you cut your hair right? Shave? You are changing God’s perfect creation..but does that displease him?
March 8th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
I am a director of jr. high ministry workin with urban youth and I have piercings and got my first tat a little over a year ago. My tat designed by a christian brother is of the gospel fish with a cross in the center of it. It has given my oppertunities to share my faith with others. I see nothing wrong with it and am looking forward to my next tat designed by my brother in Christ.
March 10th, 2007 at 9:27 am
My Christian brother refers to me above. I designed the tattoo for him a year or so ago. I, myself, have three tattoos – each bears a very strong sentimental value to me – above all – spiritually. Two I designed myself. The first is of a cross I designed with a rose vine wrapped around it. Each bud on the vine represents my daughters and my wife. It symbolizes “Christ is the center” of the most important things in my life. The second is a Cross, Dove, and Heart merged into one. It symbolizes Christ, peace, and love are intertwined. The final is of two stone rings which are interlinked in an “X-like” way. It symbolizes 10 years of marriage with my wife who bears the same tattoo – “What God has joined, let no man come between”. These tattoos have opened many doors for me to witness to others. I recall reading in the Bible of a time in the end days when the number “666″ will be inprinted on those who reject Christ. With this in mind, my main motivation for getting my tattoos was to declare just the opposite in the face of death of persecution for my faith in God. I truly believe God judges the heart. If you do things in God’s name, He will find ways to use them to influence others. When I come before Him some day, I believe in my heart that He’ll understand it was done as a ministry for Him. I think He’ll be okay with it.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
I’ve done some reading on this subject from various sites and this is my conclusion. I think the bottome line is this; What is your reason for getting a tattoo? (1 Cor. 9:19-23)I think if your reason is genuinely to do the works of God, than it’s ok. I think if we truly love God, we would do all things with God’s purpose in mind. That purpose is to know God. (John 6:28)
I think God knows our hearts. He knows if we’re doing it for His reason and not just because it’s cool, or because we want to belong to a particular social group, or to pay homage to a loved one; in which cases I believe there is no need for a tattoo.
Let us not get caught up in the technical wordings but simply ask ourselves this,”Do we truly love God with all our heart soul and mind?” If so will this tattoo help us in doing so?
Thanks God Bless,
Donny
April 30th, 2007 at 10:35 am
“Place me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm. For love is as strong as death, and jealousy as serious as the grave.” Song of Solomon Chapter 8
June 27th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Someone once used this comment in my high school sunday school class.He was thinking of getting the christian fish symbol with
his favorite verse inside.He said “If i get that and one day a friend or even a complete stranger asked me about it, i shared Jesus Christ with them and say they got saved or even if they didnt I still would planted that seed in there heart.Is it still wronge to get that tatoo?” My youth paster had nothing to say.I think as long as you are not getting “sinful” things on your body i think it is ok.Look at the verses in lev. there are tons of laws in there that are broken.Why is the one about the tatoo so much more “sinful” then the others?Everyone has there own opinions.
July 23rd, 2007 at 4:53 pm
i am convinced by a few things; (1) the example of Christ’s tattoo in Revelations; (2) the Song of Solomon verse, set me as a seal upon thy heart, a seal upon thy arm; (3) and Job 49: 16 (see i have inscribed u in the palm of my hand…). What i am not saying, is that these verses render Lev 19:38 void, per se, but they liken this matter to that of working and eating on the Sabbath (Mark 2:23-26/7), a law which both David and Jesus “violated”. yes, all things may be lawful but not all beneficial; inking one’s body is not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things, so one’s motivation is to be seriously called into question, as was Jesus’ and David’s.
August 3rd, 2007 at 5:44 pm
Samuel 16:7 (NIV)
7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
The Lord looks at our HEART, not our body.
Also, I Corinthians 6:19-20 does say your body is your temple. But does anyone know what else it says? It says: Therefore honor God with your body.
If a person gets a christian tattoo, I think that is definately honoring God with your body don’t you think? I mean, you’re using your body to honor God.
September 9th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
Hey people
Do we think about what we wear every day and having some bible verse/quote/meaning on/to it? Do we buy “God-glorifying” deodorant or perfume? Do we get “Christ-like” haircuts, makeup, jewellery, etc? Do we pray before getting a decoration for our house, or before choosing the colors to paint our living room?
Did Jesus say “people will know you are mine by the writings you have on your clothes/car/body”? Or did he say that it is by the love we have for one another?
I think people often mistake their personal preferences ie. tattoos, for “spiritual” convictions.
We judge others because of their tattoos, rather than seeing them as brothers and sisters that Christ gave his life for.
We try to justify our tattoos by saying they are for ministry purposes. What if the people you meet are offended by your tattoos? Aren’t you making them stumble?
What about the cost of tattoos – what could we have done with that money that would’ve helped God’s sons and daughters, Christ’s brothers and sisters?
Tattoos are drawings, therefore they are art. Some prettier than others, but that’s subjective.
If you don’t like them, don’t get one, but don’t diss Jesus’ name and life by judging others.
If you like them, I don’t see anything wrong with getting a flower or some other drawing that doesn’t have any kind of “obvious” spiritual connection. Art is beauty and God created beauty for our enjoyment.
HOwever, if you want something that has a spiritual meaning to you, get it then. It stays on forever, might as well enjoy it forever.
I think that we as Christians focus too much on trivial things. There are people living in countries were there are wars, were children are abused and hungry, people living with depression and oppression. Where’s the blog for that?
October 6th, 2007 at 10:58 am
Thanks for the article. I’ve been a Christian for 20+ years and have always wanted a tattoo. Finally, at the age of 38 I went for it. I got a tattoo about the size of an adult fist. It is of a cross. It has a rose towards the bottom of the cross and the thorns from the stem wrap around the top of the cross as a crown of thorns.
I was at a craft class the other night and showed the tattoo to some older woman. The first thing one woman said to me was that it was a sin and she referred to a scripture in Deuteronomy. The scripture was actually the one in Leviticus. I told her that everyone has their own interpretation of the scriptures. Her reply: “when we say that we turn interpretation into justification”.
My whole take on it is that I am not under the old law of the old testament. I eat steaks (meat with blood). I love the Lord with all my heart. If I really thought getting a tattoo was a sin I would have never done it. I’d like to get another one down the road. Ultimately, Jesus knows my heart and I will have to answer to him for all of my life.
One last thing, it was mentioned in the same scripture that we are not to draw attention to ourselves. With that in mind, think of all those upbeat personalities, such as myself, that draw attention to themselves all of the time. That’s the way God made us…a little loud, a fun sense of humor when looking at life, a mold-breaker for sure. When we get a new outfit, we wear it with a sense of pride that we look good. Inside we hope others notice as well.
Ultimately, we answer to God. I can live with that.
October 30th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
I just wanted to make one small comment. (BTW I don’t have any tattoos.) I have studied this subject a fair bit, and one thing that I feel needs to be pointed out is this. The verse in 1 Corinthians 6 about your body being a temple is not talking necessarily about tattooing. People take this verse out of context in so many different ways. When interpreting the Bible you don’t just pick a verse here and there and use it to fit your context. That is poor practice. Look at the verses and chapters surrounding verses 19-20. This passage is talking immediately prior about sexual immorality. In a larger context it is talking about honoring God with your body. If this is the case, then there needs to be just as much of an emphasis on the aspect of not exercising and eating too much as on tattooing. So in looking at tattoos, or piercings, or whatever, be careful that you don’t just say that it applies to one area of the body and not other areas.
December 16th, 2007 at 11:31 pm
I’m coming into this discussion really late but felt lead of the Spirit to comment. I have several tattoos and have struggled recently as to the rightness of this.
I got the tattoos ten years or more ago and two of the three tats are “Christian”: the rose on my ankle with a cross & ichtus and the title of my favorite hymn “Just As I Am” and on my right forearm a rose entangling a treble cleft with the words “Mercy Lord”. I got the one on my forearm because I am a nurse and wash my hands fifty or more times a day. I wanted to be reminded each time I did this of the verse, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner”.
I grew up in a conservative Christian fellowship without radio, TV, couldn’t cut my hair or wear trousers, so it was obviously legalistic. This environment made me feel I was better than others, especially non-Christians. When I got my first tat (ankle), I was literally afraid I might get struck down by lightening!
When I didn’t and found I could use the tat as a tool to convey the Gospel, I felt I’d done the right thing. My forearm tat was a reminder of how I am not different from even the worst of sinners because I have the same desires that could lead me down the wrong path if I allowed them to do so. It was also a good tool in spreading the Word.
Finally, I got a large tattoo on the middle of my back that is the face of a tiger in the form of a butterfly. I wanted to express the strength I have within this fragile, broken body that is mine. I’ve suffered severe pain, and, consequently, at times deep depression, for twenty years and yet it’s not overcome me. I am still the Lord’s and He is mine and there is nothing that can break this bond.
Obviously my family has not been happy I have these tats. I’ve tried to explain the reasoning behind my getting them but haven’t done a very good job. After praying and thinking about it, I do believe I got these tats to rebel against the Fellowship I’d recently left (and have just rejoined after 14yrs) and so I believe they are sinful from this standpoint. I also am really proud of the tat on my back, especially. I believe God is showing me this isn’t something honoring Him, it was something to bring attention to myself.
I know this is a long comment, mainly because I’m trying to think it thru as I write, but I do feel what I am saying is important. I do NOT think tattoos are sinful, especially if they are gotten in an attempt to honor Christ. BUT I believe we all need to look within and really search as to the reasons why we are choosing to decorate our bodies thus. I believe this applies to piercings as well.
May you all know the blessing of the Lord, especially during this beautiful Christmas season.
In Christ, our Lord,
Debbie
March 9th, 2008 at 11:57 am
My forearm tat was a reminder of how I am not different from even the worst of sinners because I have the same desires that could lead me down the wrong path if I allowed them to do so…what about 2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
All things include old sinful desires. and think about 2Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
2Co 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
2Co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
BE YE SEPARATE…when thinking about getting a tattoo, think about what the man of God told Amaziah 2Ch 25:9 And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel?
And the man of God answered, The LORD is able to give thee much more than this.
much more this to you now as well as Amaziah then, for God is Act 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS:
Act 10:35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
April 11th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
My husband and I are wanting to get the Song of Solomon tattoos, but cannot find a good translation. If anyone can help, let me know.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
now, I have a question. when you talk about the Bible saying not to cut your hair, and not to eat meat with blood in it, and so on. so when i see that, should that alture the way I look at the Bible?
June 11th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
I have read this article as well as the previous comments. I appreciate this brother’s honesty and have no doubt that he loves the Lord. I myself have no tatoos and no desire to get them. However, we have to be careful when we judge. But by the grace of God there you are!I myself can throw no stones at all.
To my fellow sisters and brothers, make sure that when you walk around showing the “World” your billboard, make sure that they are reading Jesus on you !
Dats for realszy,
Pastor Steve
July 20th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
John 3:16 “God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son (Jesus) so that WHOSOEVER believes in him, SHALL be saved and have eternal life!
No mention of with or without tatoo. HUMMM?? Must not have been too important?
October 20th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
I read what this article had to say and I’ll be frank, I been wanting a tattoo for a very long time. 99% of what I see is junk but my “idea”, for myself, would be cool. I haven’t gotten a tattoo for two reasons: putting a symbol on my body, which is God’s body would be serving my own desires and not God’s. Being tattooed doen’t keep me seperate from the world. I simply don’t understand how a person who is tattooed and pierced is a true representative of Jesus Christ. Now matter how you dice up Levicitus, when you study other parts of the bible concerning keeping our bodys clean and seperate from the world, tattooing is just wrong.
January 13th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
I currently have no tattoos but am planning on getting one next Tuesday. I have to say that I battled with this for a long time but actually I believe God guided me into getting this particular tattoo.
So here is a small part of my testimony.
In the summer I had a dream, possibly the most real dream of my life. I was about to get to heaven, I was praying and discussing the Bible with complete strangers but those who also loved God. We were feeling completely loved, knowing that one step around the corner and we could be with God forever, it was heaven, we would worship in truth and light and be happy in His glory. I remember saying something about a passage Phil. and how amazing it really was. It was then that I saw friends of mine standing outside this gate and they were all about to leave, they were calling me with them, but I wanted to stay with God. I didn’t want to be on earth anymore, I wanted to stay. But they were my friends and they didn’t know about this place, they didn’t know, I needed to bring them. I was in tears trying to decide what to do; whether to stay and look after myself, happy with God OR to leave, knowing I would return at a later date, but help my friends as best I could.
I woke up and my face was wet with tears. However, the passage I vaguely remembered mentioning was still echoing and so I grabbed my Bible and tried to think of anything Phil could be. I opened it and immediately saw this:
23I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.
It was exactly how I was feeling: torn between work for God, and death with God that somehow seemed so close. It is odd to feel like you’d be happy dying right there and then, but it wasn’t morbid, it was because of the love I felt for Him. And so the passage continues:
25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.
So I decided there and then that if I was going to live, it would be completely for God. I had had this conviction before but never so strongly and in such a way. God taught me and guided me through a dream.
It was later in the Autumn that amazing things started happening, with prayer and fellowship with those around me, and a poem was brought to me “The Vision” by Pete Greig which I would definitely reccommend. That and much prophecy echoed through my life and god touched everything. It has been fantastic. But when a friend looked at it closely he noticed this:
“And the army is disciple(in)ed—
Young people who beat their bodies into submission.
Every soldier would take a bullet for his comrade at arms.
The tattoo on their back boasts “for me to live is Christ and to die is gain.””
As you can see the last bit is particularly relevant to this discussion but I had just brushed over it. Richard (my aforementioned friend) noticed it and just asked “Isn’t that Philippians 1?”
Suddenly my dream came rushing back to me and it was the same part, the same discussion of Paul’s that had meant so much to me. This same friend once I had told him the dream part of my summer simply asked, completely dead-pan (he is by the way a pretty meak, conservative english boy, hardly likely to say this most of the time – hence my surprise) “So when you getting the tattoo then?”
It freaked me out for a long time. I am still terrified of needles and so anything like that would be a massive sacrifice, I would literally be forcing myself into it for God. I didn’t think I could do it. But God had been working on breaking quite a lot of my fear boundaries. He had told me through 3 different people to give my testimony and so I forced myself into it and spoke infront of over a hundred people. It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done but I felt that shackle break with God’s help. He pushed me into taking a big leap of faith with mending relationships with my family and both broke a fear shackle and mended a home. So, is this the same? I have prayed for months over it and the answer has always come back to it being of God. Tattoos in general I am not a fan of, I do think natural beauty is the best and definitely an amazing show of God’s creativity, but I do think this tattoo will be for God, a sacrifice to myself, a cross to bear, and will never again let me hide my faith from those around me which I know I often do.
It is not for myself, it is not a piece of art: that specifically I am making sure of. I am an artist at heart but did not want to turn it into decoration. The truth is beautiful enough and so I did not want to seem to add to the truth.
The issue of money came up. I am very conscious of the fact that money should not be wasted on frivolities and so did not think I had the money to use on it. So I prayed it over and it actually somehow appeared: money was given to me that I didn’t expect and just when I needed it if I was ever going to get the tattoo.
The issue of the biblical warrant also came up. Leviticus is the obvious but after much study I found that the culture behind it was a idolising one where the ancestors of the people were praised so highly it got in the way of God. No man should be above God and this was understandable. The verses around it also include those mentioned above as well as instructions that if your children ever speak back to you, death was the response. I can’t imagine anyone now would suggest that as being the best way to go about discipline.
I spoke to many Christian friends that I trust and they prayed about it and came back with the opinion that only something to glorify God was worth it. 1 Corinthians 10:23 speaks of everything being ok, but not always being necessary. I had to think long and hard about all these things and do believe that God has guided me.
The words that will be tattooed on my back are: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” It is more for others than myself, I will not longer hide it, I cannot. I cannot be proud of myself, I will rarely really be able to look at it. It will not be decorative and this is me holding back my artistic and aesthetic instincts. It is not for the beautification of me, nor for the mutilation – if I could not have the pain and if it was anything less true I would not be doing it. I will probably also suffer persecution from my non-Christian friends and possibly even my own family. But it is not because of them I do it. It is God that pointed me in this direction. He gave me a dream, He gave me a passage, He gave me inspiration, He gave me the knowledge to decide, and He is giving me the strength not to fear anything but Him.
It is permanent and that is what I hope my faith will forever be. If I am too weak and stray from God, at least others might be touched by His words on me, showing them that I am truely His whether they, or I, know it or not.
I hope I haven’t rambled too much, I just wanted to share it all with you.
God bless x
January 27th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Hello. I am an 11th grade IB student of Jim Hill High School and I am doin a research paper on Tattoos and Christ. The previous year I had done a personal project (a project based on interest) on the overall subject of tattoos. The title was The Art Of Tattoos ( I can provide copies of the paper written). I would like to know any websites on tattoos and Christ that can help me with my research paper… My email is hdwoodall601@yahoo.com…
March 23rd, 2009 at 8:50 am
So art can be a form of worship. Then tattoing is a form of worship. “My body is a temple and i will decorate it” – JB Askew (Me)
May 2nd, 2009 at 11:36 am
Isn’t it interesting how proposed Christians believe the New Testament eliminates the Old Testament? In truth the New Testament is the continuation of the Old or the completion of the Old. We profess to be “Followers” of Jesus Christ and yet most Christians do not follow Him in life. With all the love I can give I say without reservation that G-d would NEVER tell anyone to paint their bodies or create holes in their bodies.
Consider for a moment the requirements given to King David for the building of the Lord’s House on earth, the Temple in Jerusalem. If you are a Christian, then your body is G-d’s temple. Just like G-d would be very unhappy if someone painted the outside of the Temple, He is equally unhappy when we paint our bodies.
I have never been one interested in painting my body or poking holes in it. I wonder why anyone would want to do so. I would think core to any reason would be “attention”. Like a living billboard. Is that how Christ wants His followers to live? I think not.
Most of the laws of the Old Testament are not invalidated by the New Testament. Those laws pertaining to the Sin Covenant and rules for the atonement of sin are COMPLETED in Christ. The blood of animals never took away sin. These acts pointed all followers to the day when sin would be removed by the Perfect Lamb of G-d. We are finding out the food laws found in the Old Testament are actually the best dietary rules for correct eating. The absolute best eating habits are those found in the Old Testament.
July 9th, 2009 at 8:49 am
To KC,
I do believe that the new testament doesn’t invalidate the old BUT the scripture in Leviticus also speaks out against other impure things. Leviticus 11:29 if I am not mistaken (no bible near me to cross reference) states that you shall not intermingle the fabric of your clothes. If we follow the guidelines in Leviticus to the tee your cotton/poly tee shirt would be sinful as well. I am a 38 year old Christian that came out of a legalistic church into a more loving and scriptural church. I am 38 and just got my first tattoo and thought long and hard about what I could get to glorify GOD and witness to my faith. I’m not about to say that my choice to get a tattoo in any way discounts or destroys my love of Jesus and the strength of my faith…. KC, I also won’t say that your views of biblical truth are wrong or misguided. The bible clearly states that we should work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. If you are brought closer to GOD through your convictions then they are awesome for you. Some things GOD spells out through scripture in black and white others are left for our interpretation. But if I were going to follow doctrine laid out in Leviticus I would feel that I should follow it all, even down to the very fiber of my garments.
~KB~
August 17th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Well for one it said dont put markings on your body….in the old testament under the old covenant. Everything changed when Jesus came and died. And no where in the new testament can i find where it says a tattoo is a sin. and anyone who thinks it is is about stupid. But you know what else the bible says is dont waste ur time on petty arguements so im done w/ this now and so should everyone else cuz im sure getting a tat isnt goin to damn u to hell so dont worry about it.
January 4th, 2010 at 8:40 am
I agree with everyone who stated that Father God looks @ our hearts.If your heart is pure,i believe then God is happy.