There is a question always looming over the head of Christian folks on whether or not Tattoos are permitted. I am sure that you have encountered someone who claims to be a Christian and has a Tattoo. I know that I am one of them. As a Christian I have tattoos. None of the tattoos I received was while I was a believer but rather living in sin. When I became a Christian it did not take a study in the scriptures to know that Tattoos were frowned upon. I remember when I came across a new believer who felt that a Tattoo of a Cross on his back was a form of honoring God. Even though the design looked nice there was something that just not go well with me.
So what does God say about Tattoos? Can a Christian have a Tattoo? Is it a sin to have a Tattoo? Would God send you to Hell for having a Tattoo?
I would like to answer the last question first. Even though there are a lot of things that you can do that may not send you to Hell, it should not be permitted.
1 Corinthians 6:12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
Just because it may not send me to Hell it does not mean I should do it. Even in this scripture the reference has to do with being a good witness. Which allows me now to answer the next question. Can a Christian have a Tattoo?
We are called to be good witnesses of Christ. We are to stand as representatives of God's Kingdom. Even though in this time of age a Tattoo is an accepted NORM it represents the world. A person who has a Tattoo is usually someone who is represented as worldly. Of course there is some exceptions but they are very few in between. If you have a Tattoo, ask yourself, why did I get this Tattoo? What is the meaning of the Tattoo? Why did I feel like I had to have this Tattoo? Much of the answer is Pride. It looked nice. I felt hip. It made me feel a little better. It makes me look tough. Many other answers are followed. If one of them were I wanted to honor God, then I can assure you that the person who got the Tattoo for that reason did not ask God what he thought. This brings us to the last question. Is a Tattoo a Sin?
Leviticus 19:28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.
In the text above it is very plain that a Tattoo is a Mark Printed on you. So the answer is YES. Tattoos are a sin. They are disobeying the will of God. God does not intend for believers to have anything on them printed, marked or pierced that represents the World.
For the sake of exegisis, I would like to exegite this text further so that you may understand the deeper truth of it.
The word PRINT in the Hebrew is
"nâthan"
A primitive root; to give, used with great latitude of application (put, make, etc.):
The word MARK is
"kethôbeth"
keth-o'-beth
From H3789; a letter or other mark branded on the skin:
The purest form of this text is just that you shall not have a letter or mark branded on the skin.
Tattoos are forbidden by God. They do not honor God nor is God pleases when a Christian gets one.
As Christians we are called to a higher calling. A life for God and in God. To present our Bodies a living sacrifice. This means that our Bodies, our Skin, our Life belongs to God not us. We are to represent Him. Tattoos do none of that.
If you are a Christian and you received a tattoo as a believer you must repent. Ask God to forgive you for your ignorance to His Law. Ask him to cleanse you and that you will not show pride or be proud of the Tattoo but rather it will be looked at as immaturity and fleshly. When people ask about it you will use it as a Testimony of how you thought it was alright but it is not. That the only cutting of the flesh and marking of the flesh that Christ wants is that of the heart. God will lead you.
In Christ Name.
Pastor Michael Salman
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