TATOO'S - for CHRISTIANS ????

[mrhappy3]

Probably been done b4. Please vote and comment as led..

Either YES, NO or NOT SURE

 

[Living in the Light]

I don't have a problem with a tatoo or two when done tastefully. The whole body tatoos with skulls, demons, and other negative icons do nothing to uplift me. Just my opinion.

 

[tturt]

It seems it was something that they did for some type of ritual when someone died from Lev 19:28 “Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.”

Some argue that it shouldn’t be done because of this Scripture. Wondering why we pick some Scriptures out of the OT to follow but usually we say we don’t follow the OT?

Some who argue against tattoos have pierced ears – which is interesting to me.

 

[mrhappy3]

I suppose DOES a tatoo glorify the LORD.....what about make up etc.

God looks upon the heart, not the outward appearence though....

 

[Lotuspetal_uk]

Definite 'no' here. Plus I hate needles.

2 Cor 6:16 comes to mind along with understanding the significance of Lev 19:28.

A summary of the commentaries found here basically state that the Israelites were to be a people set apart as holy to the Lord. Those nations around them conducted essentially self harming during bereavement - the bigger the better. According to the commentaries people use to scratch their faces and arms to appease their idols and in memory of the dead. The other thing they use to do was mark on their skin drawings to represent whichever god they worshiped.

The Lord basically wanted his children to be set apart as holy to Him only. He didn't want them to copy the practices of the nations around them.

In terms of the NT, since we are temples of the living God who are we to deface it?

 

[FoundInGrace]

I've struggled with this one because I did want to get one which said in Hebrew 'forgiven and loved' so every time I saw it I would be reminded of what my Lord had done in my life. it was a challenge to me because I needed to be prepared to share my testimony when people asked me about it.

I certainly think it matters most where your heart is. As you say God does not look at the outward appearance.

I didnt end up getting one even though I did agonise over the decision for quite a number of years.. I am getting too old now lol... also on a practical note in my job a tattoo perhaps would work against me as well so there has always been that to consider (it would have been visible). I move in different circles now to a few years ago aswell so that has changed the way I try to witness in some ways.

Louie Giglio has done a dvd called 'Tattoo' which is really good.

In conclusion it really does only matter where someone's heart is.
I'm not sure that the Leviticus scriptures can be used categorically as saying the Lord is against tattoos - after all He has our names written on His hand.

 

[mrhappy3]

All great answers.....

"wriiten on his hand" - love that one !!

 

[Optimax]

God made us some very neat temples to live in.

Why would we want to graffiti them?

 

[lismore]

Would advise anyone to think carefully before getting one, they're hard to reverse!

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

I think some of them are nice looking but in scripture, God says "NO".

“You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:28 — New American Standard

​

Now if you believe that this scripture does not apply for today then you must throw out all the other scriptures. No where does it say that some of Gods laws we are to obey and others we can trample on. Falling short for lack of knowledge is one thing. Falling short because we know what God says but don't like it, that is another. Those who say that God gave them peace about it are lying to themselves. God cannot deny Himself. It's impossible for Him to tell you something HE says in scripture is not OK is OK for you. In the event that one got their tatoo before they knew what HE says in scripture about it that's one thing. But knowing and doing it anyway is another.

I don't believe one is going to hell over it, however, Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments". Sure you can repent, however, you bear the marks of your rebellion all the days of your life. Rebellion is the sin of witchcraft (says so in scripture). Rebellion before you knew God is one thing, rebellion after is another. "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus". Those in Christ Jesus though, do things to the best of their ability according to what God says.

 

[TasManOfGod]

Yes it has been done b4 - but if just one more Christian obeys God in one simple aspect they would receive the blessing in life that that Godly advice bought them and this thread would be considered worth it

 

[FoundInGrace]

All great answers.....

"wriiten on his hand" - love that one !!

If you like that one check out the last verse of this awesome description of Jesus..

Revelation 19:11-16

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”[a] He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.
On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.


blessings

 

[TasManOfGod]

FoundInGrace]

On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

So who do you think wrote it:
The Roman soldiers?
God?
Other?

 

[FoundInGrace]

Well perhaps considering in the earlier verse ( Rev 19:11 or 12 ) it says He has a name written on Him that no one else knows then He probably wrote that one Himself. The other name on his thigh I'm honestly not sure who put it there. It is the Truth about Him so perhaps it is simply a declaration of who He is - The King of Kings and The Lord of Lords. Jesus said He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. The Truth stands. Maybe that's all it is - the Truth showing itself.


If it was Him then imho He doesnt do things by halves.. eg. when He put our names on His hand He 'engraved' them which is kinda permanent. As God also says in Isaiah 'when I act who can reverse it?' When God does something He does something and that's it. Which I think is awesome especially when it comes to freeing people - when God frees you you are free indeed!

Isaiah 49:16
King James 2000 Bible (©2003)
Behold, I have engraved you upon the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me


I'm not saying these verses are evidence Jesus had tattoos or anything just throwing some other scripture in there other than the oft quoted Leviticus ones as food for thought.

(also I really like the description of Jesus in these verses anyway.. Glorious Mighty God!)

 

[TasManOfGod]

Supposing the words written on Jesus thigh were put there as a mocking by the Roman soldiers as they knew the attitude of the Jews toward tattoos. It is possible that such evidence of spiritually motivated events to our mortal bodies may be replicated on our spiritual bodies. Other evidence to this of course are the holes in His hands and feet and side. Now it is easy to say -Ah that is Jesus and that is important so that all will see those things and know that He was the one they crucified. But would Jesus be treated any different to any other human in this respect. I am just saying this because the possibility is there that anyone who has a spiritually symbolic tattoo may well also have it replicated on their glorified bodies as Jesus has and it will be there for eternity. I hope that those with tattoos or thinking of getting them will give some consideration to that possibility, particularly as we cannot say that there is no supporting evidence one way or the other.

 

[Lotuspetal_uk]

.. I am getting too old now lol....

Seeing this reminded me of when I was in my 20's and before I got saved. My friends use to all go to the clubs and two of them turned up one day with tattoos. They were trying to convince me to get one done but I was having none of it (for the needle reason mentioned earlier ). Anyway had I given in and had one done I would have gone for some sort of flower on a stem.

We recently had a reunion a couple of months ago and of course with us being in our 40's our bodies had significantly changed.

I saw your above comment and had to thank the Lord because if I'd gone for that tattoo it would probably resemble a withered plant now.

 

[probinson]

I think some of them are nice looking but in scripture, God says "NO".

“You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:28 — New American Standard
​

Now if you believe that this scripture does not apply for today then you must throw out all the other scriptures.

Hmmm. That's a bit extreme.

The verse immediately prior says;

Leviticus 19:27 (NASB)
You shall not round off the side-growth of your heads nor harm the edges of your beard.
​

If this is true, then every Christian should have Elvis Presley sideburns and a scraggly beard to go along with it.

So God says, (paraphrasing) "Don't cut your sideburns or shave the edge of your beard", yet you don't see people suggesting that if you cut off your sideburns you might as well toss out all of scripture.

Personally, I don't like tattoos and I would never get one. But I think it's pretty selective to pull a scripture like this out to try to impose a restriction on someone else, that is unless you are suggesting that people without sideburns and clean cut beards are in "rebellion" to God as well.

 

[I Am Roman Catholic]

Isn't there a verse in Leviticus that talks about not having tatoos? Wasn't it like in chapter 19 or something?

 

[TasManOfGod]

Isn't there a verse in Leviticus that talks about not having tatoos? Wasn't it like in chapter 19 or something?

Yes I think it somewhere around Leviticus 19:28 just above the verse where God also tells the children of Israel who were used to the standards of pagan Egypt, not to prostitute their daughters.
So what do we get from these verses:
"Just because the world does stuff that is detrimental to our well being there is no need to identify with the world and do the same stuff they do ie wear a spike haircut with pins in your nose especially while sharing about how God wonderfully made us."

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Hmmm. That's a bit extreme.

The verse immediately prior says;

Leviticus 19:27 (NASB)
You shall not round off the side-growth of your heads nor harm the edges of your beard.
​

If this is true, then every Christian should have Elvis Presley sideburns and a scraggly beard to go along with it.

So God says, (paraphrasing) "Don't cut your sideburns or shave the edge of your beard", yet you don't see people suggesting that if you cut off your sideburns you might as well toss out all of scripture.

Personally, I don't like tattoos and I would never get one. But I think it's pretty selective to pull a scripture like this out to try to impose a restriction on someone else, that is unless you are suggesting that people without sideburns and clean cut beards are in "rebellion" to God as well.

I understand what you're saying. I am not imposing anything on anyone though. I've just posted what God said on the matter. How one chooses to interpret that is between them and God. While I believe that in me the old me is passed and all things have become new, I don't believe that applies to God's word. Each of us must do our own study and do what the Father shows us to do. I know HE cannot deny Himself so it is impossible for Him to say it's ok for us to do something that in scripture He says is not OK. When we stand before Him, only God is the judge. Scripture says, "he who KNOWS the right thing to do and does not do it to him it is sin" If God has made a revelation in one's heart and mind and they don't act upon it because "Christian teachings" says they don't need to anymore, then to him it is sin.

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. (James 4:17)

​

I am curious though, there is a whole list of things in that section of Lev we are told to not do. How do you separate the beard part from all the others? Surely we are not to practice divination, or give our daughters as prostitutes, speak to spirits or mediums, etc.. How is it that when God listed them all as don't, that we are able to pick apart that list and say now some are acceptable and others are not? If it's ok to ignore one, why is it not ok to ignore them all? That makes no sense to me. I don't think it's ok to ignore anything God has said.