One of the more popular questions is, “Should Christians Get Tattoos?” This is the age-old debate between legalism and license. Legalism sets up extra rules that are in addition to what the Bible requires for Christians in an effort to stay as far away as possible from sin (e.g. abstaining from secular music, R-rated movies, dancing, night clubs, etc.). License goes to the other extreme and says, “I’m forgiven in Christ so apart from ‘the big sins like adultery, murder, etc.’ I’m free to do whatever I want.” Somewhere between these two extremes lies a happy medium. Is getting a tattoo prohibited or permitted? The answer to this question is not a simple yes or no because it is situational. What, if any, does the Bible have to say about this? The only verse that is controversial concerning the subject of tattoos is Leviticus 19:28 which reads,

Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.

Whew! Okay, so one of the main rules of interpretation when studying the Bible is CONTEXT IS KING! If we do not put a verse in its proper context then we can make the Bible say almost anything we want it to say. The full passage says,

You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor practice divination or soothsaying. You shall not round off the side-growth of your heads, nor harm the edges of your beard. You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead, nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the Lord. ‘Do not profane your daughter by making her a harlot, so that the land may not fall to harlotry, and the land become full of lewdness. You shall keep My sabbaths and revere My sanctuary; I am the Lord.

Lev. 19:26-30

WHAT IS THE CONTEXT?

A little research reveals that Moses gave this command shortly after the Israelites came out of Egyptian bondage. He was warning them against adapting forbidden practices of the pagan nations around them which included cutting their bodies in honor of the dead and marking their bodies with symbols of pagan gods. First, we can’t be for certain that they even used ink in those days to mark their bodies. Second, Hebrew scholars are uncertain as to the exact meaning of the root word for “mark” in this passage. The English translators took the liberty in translating the Hebrew word for “mark” into our English word for tattoo. However, the word tattoo didn’t even enter our English vocabulary until the late 1700s which explains why the King James Bible (completed in 1611) translates this as, “ye shall not…print marks upon you.”

Third, if we conclude that tattoos are sinful then we must also conclude that rounding off our beard to form a perfect goatee is sinful as well. We also must still refrain from eating meat with blood in it. These are all part of the Old Testament ceremonial law which we as New Testament Christians are no longer required to observe. For more on how to determine which parts of the OT are still valid for the NT Christian, please refer to the blog entitled, “How Should We Apply the Old Testament Today?” Instead of debating for or against tattoos for Christians, perhaps we should think before we ink and ask the following questions.

#1 – What is my motivation for getting this tattoo?

Why do I want this tattoo? Is it because I want attention every time someone sees me? Has it become a competition as to whose tattoo is better? Am I getting this tattoo in response to a hurt or out of emotional pain; a break up? Am I getting this in rebellion to my parents? Am I doing this because I’m not content with my natural beauty and I think this will somehow enhance it? The bible says in 1 Pet. 3:3-4, “Do not let your beauty come merely from outward adornment…” We must ask the question,

Am I spending more time focusing on my outer beauty rather than my inner beauty (love, patience, kindness, forgiveness, joy, peace, contentment, etc.).

#2 – What Message am I Communicating with my Tattoo?

If you are communicating a message involving a skull & bones, new age theology, Greek mythology, or some secular symbol, that could be sending the wrong message as a Christian. However, if you are expressing your love for God through a Christian symbol or Bible verse, then that very well could be used as a conversation starter and possibly a tool to witness to others. In that case, I’m not sure that getting the tattoo is wrong. The Apostle Paul said,

“I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” 

1 Cor. 9:22-23

Essentially he was saying that he adapts his approach to evangelism based on his audience. So perhaps God may use a Christian with a tattoo with a Christian message to be able to relate easier to a non-Christian with a tattoo than a man with a suit and tie on. We must be careful not to put God in a box and become legalistic. However, this cannot be our motivation for marking up our entire body because there are other ways we are called to evangelize.

#3 – Could I be enticing someone to lust with my tattoo?

If your tattoo is strategically placed on a sensual part of your body (e.g. a woman’s breasts/cleavage), it will naturally draw even more attention to that area enticing someone to lust more than he/she already is. This can happen even if the message is a Christian message. So if you’re getting a bible verse as a “tramp stamp” that could cause some brothers to lust and miss the message of the tattoo! So why would we purposely want to draw attention to a sensual part of our body and cause someone else to stumble?

#4 – Will I Want this Tattoo Years From Now?

Do you want to permanently mark yourself knowing that who you will be twenty years from now could very well be drastically different than the person you are today? Many companies will judge you prematurely simply because of a tattoo. Each person must make the choice as to whether they are prepared to accept this reality whether they like it or not.

#5 – Am I Becoming Extreme with my Tattoos?

Going “extreme” is subjective and relative. However, the Bible says that we are to “honor God with our bodies” (1 Cor. 6:19-20). So you should ask yourself whether or not this is the best way to honor God with my body and am I doing this to “glorify God” (1 Cor. 10:31).

SUMMARY

My final thoughts on this are that if you don’t have a tattoo be careful about judging other Christians who do have one. We are commanded not to judge merely on outward appearances (Jn. 7:24). Perhaps you can judge the message it communicates but not the actual person. While it is important to take care of our outward appearance, I believe the Bible is clear that God is more concerned about the inside than the outside (1 Sam. 7:16). For this reason we should make it our aim to focus on that more.