Tattoos?

[BereanTodd]

I am saddened that so many people agree with something that purposefully damages our bodies, and may even lower our chances of bringing people to Christ in certain cultures or places.

What about the fact that in certain cultures and places it HELPS our chances of bringing people to Christ?

But we paint our churches and decorate our churches with pictures and flowers and other such things that glorify God.

Sorry . . .

Amen, exactly!!

 

[addo]

It is not for a Christian to make tattoos.

We are His Temple, and for your general information, the old physical Temple wasn't decorated outside. It was just blank stone. Every piece of gold or any valuable thing (pertaining to the building of the Temple) was inside.

Do you not know that you are the Temple of God... ? --1 Corinthians 3:16

Does the old Temple -built by the instruction of God piece by piece (He have very detailed plans to David)- look adorned outside with drawing or writings or things similar to you? As you know, you are the Temple now. God made it to give us strong hints of how He wants us to be. This is why I also say that it is not good for a Christian to wear jewelry or fancy clothes either: all the Temple's gold was inside, ans since he is the Temple now, he must have his valuable things inside too, and not to adorn himself outside to show himself to be something like the pagans and pagan Temples.

You are His Temple; holy, spotless; cut off from this fallen world for His glory waiting for Him. We must be worthy for Him and we must be like He wants us to be. His Temple wasn't adorned outside with anything except what He commanded. It was made of stone and it could have gotten some windows too. But did it have drawings, paintings or any adorning of jewelry on it's walls outside? No. So must be we. He gave us our skin. We don't need to adorn it with drawings. It is good as it. Knowing this it's not really much of a surprise that God didn't allow His people to put markings on themselves.

 

[addo]

I think of tattoos like I believe God thinks of them -much like an architect would of a precious building say like the Sydney Opera House if it had graffitti scrawled on it -even if it said:​

"I think Mr Utzon is a great architect"​

That is a very good point. Surprised no one gave you a reply.

 

[TasManOfGod]

That is a very good point. Surprised no one gave you a reply.

I am not so surprised

 

[PreachersWife2004]

That is a very good point. Surprised no one gave you a reply.

I'm not, mainly because it's apples to oranges. Tattoos are not necessarily on par with graffiti.

Tattoos are fine in moderation, just like most things we do to our body or put them through.

Those of you who rail against them, I assume you take pristine care of your body, correct? You surely don't smoke, you surely never eat fast food and I bet you don't drink soda, you probably have never done anything that might mark up your body, like skating or bike riding, etc. If you do, you have no room to scold those people who have tattoos.

 

[TasManOfGod]

First off Leviticus is not speaking of the modern practice of tattooing. There is no direct correlation.

Oh really! When did the meaning change?

Secondly, do you wear any clothes with blended fabrics? You fail to pass the same law

.
No I certainly do not wear "blended" clothes of the type they did in those days. Then the garment was destroyed (shrunk) washing and so was never washed. BTW My church also has a policy about having people in crowds with stinking clothes - doesn't yours ?
[/quote]

You are just as much of a sinner.

God didn't say these were sin just unholy

Eaten shrimp or lobster or crab lately? Yep, you too.

Well if I happen to know that my shellfish came from sewage infected waters I might not feel like eating it either

Without applying the wriggle factor tattooing is as much unholy today as it was God said it was

 

[TasManOfGod]

I too am against anybody who criticizes anybody for having tattoos -but I suppose I am adverse to those suggesting to Christians that tattoos are OK when God clearly says they are not

 

[PreachersWife2004]

I too am against anybody who criticizes anybody for having tattoos -but I suppose I am adverse to those suggesting to Christians that tattoos are OK when God clearly says they are not

I know you have quite a reputation for debating this topic, but the bible does say:

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.
​

I realize you may believe this to be symbolic, but then, I view most of Leviticus to be ceremonial law versus moral law. Jesus did indeed fulfill the law, and Paul goes on to tell us

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.



​

Ceremonial laws from Leviticus were for reminding the people how unclean they were. Once Jesus arrived on the scene, we were all washed clean. No need for ceremonial law, as we see above.

 

[lux et lex]

I have a couple tattoos. I'm not too worried about them.

 

[Phinehas2]

Paloma2011,
Good question. I would advise against it, but dont let it worry you one way or the other. It does forbid it in the OT law, but in the New Covenant in the end God looks at the heart. However the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, we offer our souls and bodies to be a living sacrifice. A tatoo isnt really honouring the body given to us. On the other hand, suppose it was a tatoo which said Jesus Christ is Lord.

I dont know for sure, but I would advise against it personally.
Any help?

 

[addo]

I know you have quite a reputation for debating this topic, but the bible does say:

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.
​

I realize you may believe this to be symbolic,

It is symbolic. When you tie them as symbols on your hand it means to remember them in your actions, for hand symbolizes your works or what you do and when He said to tie them on your foreheads He meant to have them on our minds for that is where our mind is: in the brain. What is behind the forehead? The brain. What is one of the things we use our brains for? To think.

Ceremonial laws from Leviticus were for reminding the people how unclean they were. Once Jesus arrived on the scene, we were all washed clean. No need for ceremonial law, as we see above.

If you read Leviticus 19 you'll that there are certain commandments, actually a lot of them, that still apply today. How do you know which are "ceremonial" and which are not?

And nobody responded to my post so far. Since the Temple wasn't adorned with drawing on it's walls outside -and you are God's Temple now, for you are Christ's body, which is God's Temple- why do you want to adorn yourself?

 

[BereanTodd]

And nobody responded to my post so far. Since the Temple wasn't adorned with drawing on it's walls outside -and you are God's Temple now, for you are Christ's body, which is God's Temple- why do you want to adorn yourself?

So what about make up, jewelry, hair dyes? Are those all sinful works of the devil as well? After all we wouldn't want to adorn the temple with anything on the outside ...

 

[BereanTodd]

Oh really! When did the meaning change?

What meaning? The Bible does not mention tattoos. It mentions an ancient near east religious practice of marking the flesh for the dead - in a section where it is talking about other ANE religious practices that the Jews were to avoid. Read it in context and stop cherry picking and reading modern times back into that verse.

 

[addo]

So what about make up, jewelry, hair dyes? Are those all sinful works of the devil as well? After all we wouldn't want to adorn the temple with anything on the outside ...

Yes.

Why is this so hard to be accepted? Didn't John say "don't love the things of the world"?

 

[BereanTodd]

Yes.

Why is this so hard to be accepted? Didn't John say "don't love the things of the world"?

Wearing jewelry and 'loving the things of this world' are not the same thing. I can't even begin to fathom your level of hang ups.

 

[addo]

Wearing jewelry and 'loving the things of this world' are not the same thing. I can't even begin to fathom your level of hang ups.

What is the point of jewelry?

 

[BereanTodd]

What is the point of jewelry?

what is the point of clothing?

 

[addo]

what is the point of clothing?

Keeping us warm. And also to hide certain parts of the body which were made to be ... "appreciated" only by the partner (wife or husband). Again: what is the point of jewelry?

 

[PreachersWife2004]

It is symbolic. When you tie them as symbols on your hand it means to remember them in your actions, for hand symbolizes your works or what you do and when He said to tie them on your foreheads He meant to have them on our minds for that is where our mind is: in the brain. What is behind the forehead? The brain. What is one of the things we use our brains for? To think.

You may read it as symbolic, but I also read it as we should keep God in our lives through whatever means we can. Had I been able to get a tattoo, I always wanted the fish with the cross, or just a celtic cross. I seriously doubt God is going to strike me down because of that.

If you read Leviticus 19 you'll that there are certain commandments, actually a lot of them, that still apply today. How do you know which are "ceremonial" and which are not?

Well, I did actually go onto to show where Paul talks about ceremonial laws. There are also several instances in the NT where moral laws are talked about...honoring our parents, avoiding sexual immorality.

The fact that you chose to omit the rest of my post tells me you either didn't read it or you didn't understand that I was making the distinction between ceremonial (all laws pertaining to being unclean) versus moral laws.

And nobody responded to my post so far. Since the Temple wasn't adorned with drawing on it's walls outside -and you are God's Temple now, for you are Christ's body, which is God's Temple- why do you want to adorn yourself?

Everything I do, I do for the glory of God. Even getting dressed becomes a matter of "is this pleasing to God?" I get dressed up, I wear makeup and I wear jewelry. My body is STILL God's temple. I try to take good care of it in what I eat and what I do to it.

Taking your logic one step further, do you take your temple out of the house every day? Do you drive in a car? Do you walk places? Goodness, why would you want to put the temple of the Lord in such dangerous positions?

That's why the logic of "your body is a temple, don't mess with it" taken in the legalistic viewpoint ends up falling apart.

Yes.

Why is this so hard to be accepted? Didn't John say "don't love the things of the world"?

He sure did. But wearing earrings doesn't mean I "love the things of the world". John was referring to letting our faith be governed by the morality of society and the world. IOW, don't fall lock-step with the world when it tells you to go against God's word.

 

[BereanTodd]

And do you pick clothes that look good on you and make you feel good? Or that express some sort of feeling or belief that you have?