Photo by Agathè Yosefina on Unsplash
Can a Christian get a tattoo?
I noticed a lovely tattoo of two flowers on the forearm of my girlfriend. She shared that it was something she’d recently got along with her daughter. One flower resembled her home country and the second flower resembled the country where she currently lived.
I explained I’ve often thought about getting a tattoo myself. Nothing large, but a small cross with a “Jesus fish”. My girlfriend asked me why I hadn’t done it yet. I explained that, as a Christian, it was not allowed.
But I couldn’t provide any reference for my assumption. So I decided to do a little Bible study.
Indeed in Leviticus 19, it states (among other laws):
Do not practice divination or seek omens. Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard. ‘Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:26–28 NIV)
To put the verse in context…In those days, slaves were branded with the names of their owners and soldiers tattooed the initials of their generals. Gentiles also tattooed the mark of a deity to honor and show that they were his servants.
God’s desire was for His people to be set apart from other religious practices, so this idolatrous practice of branding was not allowed in Mosaic Law.
But in today’s culture, people get tattoos for many different reasons.
Why get a tattoo? What is your motivation? Like most things, I believe that God looks to a person’s motives.
Is it for attention? Peer pressure?
God has always been more concerned with our hearts rather than our outward appearance.
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. (1 Peter 3:3–4 NIV)
Are you honoring someone or something? Does your tattoo reflect witchcraft, idolatry or pagan symbolism?
As believers, we are to honor God and respect our bodies.
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19–20 NIV)
As a Christian, I believe an important question to ask is, “Will having a tattoo honor God?”
So, although getting a tattoo does not appear to be taboo for a follower of Christ, it’s best to check your motivation before heading to the tattoo parlour.
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