A young girl at my church brought up on Facebook the interesting topic of tattoos. After reading some of the responses it got me to thinking. Is getting a tattoo a sin? If so, why? What if someone already has a tattoo, what then?
First let us look at the scripture that the young lady used. Leviticus 19:28, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.” During the time of the Old Testament people in the pagan world would cut their bodies to show grief over the death of a family member. Also the act of tattooing was part of most pagan religions. God wanted the Hebrews to be separate from the pagans, so He didn’t want their bodies marked by cuts or tattoos. God wanted the Hebrews to be set apart and He wants the same of Christians as His Children.
According to 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” The body is a temple that the Holy Spirit lives in and we are to honor it for it is not our body but God’s. A tattoo may seem harmless, just as eating too much seems harmless. I am fat. My gluttony is sin. My body is to be a temple of God, but I disgrace that temple when I fail to take care of that body or commit sin with my body.
One of the responses on Facebook said that if you have a tattoo like a cross and it is to glorify God, then it is okay. But if the tattoo is something stupid like a clown it would be wrong. While I understand the point, we must be careful. Christians during the crusades of the Middle Ages and Muslims today believe that killing those that do not believe as they do is glorifying God. The only way to glorify God is by obeying His commands.
What about Christians that think it is okay to get tattoos? Are they going to hell? First, I cannot say who is and is not going to heaven or hell. Only God has that power. I can only speak for what I believe and my understanding of the scriptures. As a Christian we are to read the Word and listen to the Holy Spirit. When we see sin in our lives it is our responsibility to repent of that sin. The Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman and his family all got tattoos after the tragic death of his daughter. While this is not something that I would do I believe this is an issue between them and God. What they did came out of their grief and God is understanding. Christ’s blood covers all sins even the sins we don’t know we are committing. This is why we need Him. Most everything we do is an issue between ourselves and God.
We are forgiven of our sins, because of Christ. When we recognize sin in our lives, then we are to turn from it and not continue to live in it. Paul said in Romans 6:1-2, “Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more kindness and forgiveness? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?” While we will never be sinless on this earth, it is the act of trying to be like Christ that we draw closer to God.
There are many of you that will disagree with me and that is okay. This issue like most is between you and God. I throw no stones, for I would first have to throw a stone at myself. I am not perfect or without sin. I personally don't like or agree with tattooing, but again I commend no one. I only offer my understanding of the Word and leave the rest to God.
So in conclusion if you have a tattoo now and you feel it was wrong to get one then ask God to forgive you and don't think about it again. If you have tattoos and feel that their is nothing wrong with that again I say that is between you and God. If you are thinking about getting a tattoo I only recommend that you first pray about it and let the Holy Spirit guide you.
