One of the greatest aspects of the Bible is that it contains everything necessary for life and godliness. God was gracious to inspire a Book that would stand the test of time. Unfortunately, however, things get tricky when it comes to applying the timeless principles of Scripture to aspects of modern life that may not be directly addressed in the Word of God. Take for instance tattoos. What does the Bible actually say about tattoos?
Answer: not much. In other words, nowhere in Scripture does God directly forbid Christians from getting tattoos.
What about Leviticus 19:28?
One verse that is often used to defend the idea that God forbids tattoos is Leviticus 19:28, which says, “You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the Lord.”
Three quick points to consider before using this verse to argue against tattoos–
First, the book of Leviticus primarily exists to list the rules for Jewish worship within the Old Covenant. Believers today are not bound by Levitical Law since Christ came to fulfill the law’s demands.
Second, it would be inconsistent to apply only certain parts of the Levitical law (such as not getting tattoos) while ignoring other parts (such as trimming beards or wearing multiple types of material at one time).
Third, at the time this verse was written, Jews were cutting their bodies as a means of appeasing pagan gods associated with death. Scholars believe this verse directly forbid them from pagan, morbid rituals. Unless a Christian is getting a tattoo to appease a pagan god, it’s difficult to say this verse applies to the situation.
Bottom line: Picking and choosing which parts of Old Testament Law should be dogmatically followed by believers today while ignoring other parts is a dangerous mission.
Important considerations before getting a tattoo
While it is difficult to argue that tattoos are sinful or forbidden by God, it is not difficult to offer some cautionary thoughts to the Believer who would consider getting one (or five). Here are 2 quick considerations.
First, in 1 Peter 3, Paul cautions believers from caring too much about appearance. “Do not let your adorning be external–the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear–but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” Certainly he is not arguing for a lack of adorning (as he certainly wouldn’t want people running naked!) but he is asking Christians to put the emphasis on internal adorning as opposed to external. It is difficult (though perhaps not impossible) to make the case that tattoos improve internal vs. external adorning in any way.
Second, wisdom begs certain questions to be asked. Will the person getting the tattoo want that same word or picture on his or her body in 50 years? What is the motivation for getting the tattoo? Will that tattoo distract or prohibit ministry or relationship? Does that tattoo create offense? (Though Christians cannot be overly concerned with creating offense where obedience to God is concerned, we certainly do not need to make unnecessary choices that could offend.)
And arguing that a tattoo is a good idea simply because God doesn’t directly forbid it is not a good argument at the end of the day.
Bottom line: the Bible doesn’t forbid tattoos, but wisdom would raise a flag of caution.
One final thought
Current trends have encouraged believers to choose a Christian word or phrase that publicly identifies them as a child of God. And on the surface, this sounds like a good idea, and to some degree, it is! It is always the right decision to identify with Christ. Yet John 13:35 offers a better way when it says, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Yes, a Christian can get a tattoo and show love to his neighbor, but jumping on the Christian tattoo bandwagon while not making Christian love a high priority would seem to be a strange contradiction in choices. So for the believer who would choose to pursue a Christian message or symbol in the name of identifying with Christ, love better be evident in big ways in everyday life or the reasoning is merely an excuse to get inked.
~ Christian Patriot Daily
