The Bible Answers:  What’s wrong With Tattoos?

Introductory Summary:  Tattooing is a human practice forbidden by God (Leviticus 19:28).  The body is the temple of God (I Corinthians 6:19, 20).  Tattooing is used to symbolize allegiance and it is not what God asks for to show our commitment. 

Just as my children were getting to high school age (around 1994), the current tattoo craze was coming on strong, the Iversons of the NBA, the Tupaks of the rapping industry and the like were making it quite fashionable to get tats.  Before my children had a chance to ask (and you know they did) I had begun my research on the subject.

Tattooing is accomplished by pricking or cutting small incisions in the skin then rubbing colored ink into the wound.  Systematic rows of bumps and lines, writing and pictorials are artfully on display to signify allegiance to a deity, tribe, gang, and even a branch of the military. The tattoo is also used to memorialize the dead.

The marking of the skin has its roots in spiritual rituals and demon worship. Pagan priest and shamans would exorcise demons, perform rites of passage into the spirit world and indicate the deities the person belongs to.

God however gives clear instruction about the practice of marking the skin.  Leviticus 19:28 says, “you shall not make any cuttings in the flesh for the dead or make any marks upon you.”

In I Kings 18:28 pagan priests cut and lanced themselves to get the attention of their gods.  Some would say this is Old Testament; we forget the Old Testament is still God’s word.  The issue is holiness, separation, and allegiance and this concept transcends old and new.  Revelation 13:16, 17:5, show marks on the forehead or on the hand signifying to whom you belong.  I am not suggesting the mark of the beast is a tattoo, I am however saying the marks you put on your flesh show a definite resolve to display feelings about someone or something you are connected to or impressed with. 

Some people put religious symbols on their skin, but this is not how God tells us to show our love for Him, (Keep His commandments, John 14:15 is how we do this.)  I Corinthians 6:19, 20 says, “Don’t you know that your body is a temple occupied by the spirit of God, your body no longer belongs to you.”  You were bought with blood.  Bring glory to God with your body and spirit. (Loose translation)

Conclusion:  “Not what you’ve done, but what you are doing”.  For the most part tattoos are permanent- you can’t change what you’ve done, but you can change plans to get new ones, you can change your mind  to live up to God’s thinking, you can teach others what you’ve learned from this article.

Dock Williams