What about tattoos & piercings?

[faroukfarouk]

@hope faith love PS: For Christian young ppl coming up to age 18 - when it's so widely done - it's probably something to consider as regards how they understand the Scriptures.

 

[hope faith love]

@hope faith love Good to search the Scriptures prayerfully, and keep looking to the Lord.

Also - and maybe I'm mistaken - you're probably not actively considering a tattoo at the moment in any case, are you, so it's probably not so urgent for you personally.

your right i dont know why but im naturally against markings of ink on the Body as a kid i used to use the lead in machanical lead pencils and cut carvings into my skin and God lead me away from it and because of that im scared of tattos so no i was not searching for tattoo but sin in general

 

[faroukfarouk]

your right i dont know why but im naturally against markings of ink on the Body as a kid i used to use the lead in machanical lead pencils and cut carvings into my skin and God lead me away from it and because of that im scared of tattos so no i was not searching for tattoo but sin in general

@hope faith love Thanks; that's interesting.

I think also you'll find that a lot of ppl's thinking - inc. Christians' - has developed quite a bit in recent years on the subject of tattoos - often faith based.

FYI:

I have many tattoos, most are faith based. .. At the time I was initially interested in tattoos I researched relevant scripture and contextual arguments. .. I have to say my family's opinion on tattoos has changed since I started getting them. My wife has one, my step father now has several, my father just got his second piece last week, his wife now has one, and several others are interested.

Around here (Bible Belt), it is common, especially among evangelical Christians, for the girls under about 40 to have religious tattoos. More do than don't, especially when you get to the under 30 crowd. I hardly know any female at church that is under 30 that does not have a tattoo.

forums dot thewelltrainedmind dot com

It's very much a matter of individual conviction and taste, really.

 

[faroukfarouk]

My daughter got a rather large tattoo across her forearm that says "Tetelestai". I may have spelled that wrong but it is the last words Jesus said…"It is finished." People are always asking her what that means. She has a chance to tell them about Jesus. I can't very well be against that!

relevantchildrensministry dot com

 

[mm17162646]

The question that needs to be asked is:
Is this activity being done for God or for myself?
e.g

Does this selfie posted on instagram, snapchat, facebook benefit God's kingdom?

Does pumping myself up in the mirror at the gym benefit God's kingdom?

Am I attempting to get others to idolize me?

Do I idolize the feeling of gaining attention from others?

The same questions can be asked for topics such as tattoos or piercings. Do they benefit God's kingdom? Am I attempting to gain others attention from dying hair, tattoos, piercings?

The answer is that God does not benefit from any of these.
So you should not place stock into any of them! They are solely concerns of the flesh not of God.

Post photos instead, if you choose so, to show your thanks to God.

Workout instead to build your body so that it will remain healthy in this life so that you may continue giving glorying to the Lord, unhindered by complications of health.

As well, in any position of life we can praise God! Taking care of yourself by God's standards will make it easier to then take care of others!

Leviticus is reference enough for tattoos. Remember your body is not your own, treat it as such. Because it has been rented to you by God, to further HIS WILL. It is not means to by used to gain a following or draw attention to yourself ! Instead seek to grow the following that is Christ, giving all attention to him.

 

[faroukfarouk]

The question that needs to be asked is:
Is this activity being done for God or for myself?
e.g

Does this selfie posted on instagram, snapchat, facebook benefit God's kingdom?

Does pumping myself up in the mirror at the gym benefit God's kingdom?

Am I attempting to get others to idolize me?

Do I idolize the feeling of gaining attention from others?

The same questions can be asked for topics such as tattoos or piercings. Do they benefit God's kingdom? Am I attempting to gain others attention from dying hair, tattoos, piercings?

The answer is that God does not benefit from any of these.
So you should not place stock into any of them! They are solely concerns of the flesh not of God.

Post photos instead, if you choose so, to show your thanks to God.

Workout instead to build your body so that it will remain healthy in this life so that you may continue giving glorying to the Lord, unhindered by complications of health.

As well, in any position of life we can praise God! Taking care of yourself by God's standards will make it easier to then take care of others!

Leviticus is reference enough for tattoos. Remember your body is not your own, treat it as such. Because it has been rented to you by God, to further HIS WILL. It is not means to by used to gain a following or draw attention to yourself ! Instead seek to grow the following that is Christ, giving all attention to him.

Some ppl would point out that the Leviticus verse seems to have 'for the dead' as its context. Also, do preachers shave? because the next verse seems to speak of not cutting the corners of beards. Presumably if preachers shave they are backhandedly admitting they are New Testament Christians under grace, for whom the Gospel (encompassing the use of proven effective witness means) is the rule of life, rather than being Old Testament Jews in the land under the law.

My wife and I talked to a young lady with the whole of John 3.16 tattooed on her wrist area; it was her favorite Bible verse and mine also; and I'm sure other conversations have arisen as a result of her willingness to go ahead and have it done.

Excellent point there about keeping looking to the Lord. I guess the young lady mentioned would say this is one way for her to do so.

 

[sunshineforJesus]

Hi, @sunshineforJesus
For many years now for so many ppl, the standard one hole each side has been replaced by 2 holes each side, right?

Yup.

 

[faroukfarouk]

Yup.

@sunshineforJesus
Fact is also, now so often it's boys and young men - like possibly a majority of the young men and boys who sometimes attend the very conservative local church that my wife and I go to - that do one hole each side.

When boys and young men do a hole each side, and when women and girls do double holes each side, it's all wholesome, if they want it.

 

[faroukfarouk]

Hi @GodDoesListen55 Did you see this thread? (I think a long while ago you were telling us about your ink plans.)

 

[mm17162646]

Some ppl would point out that the Leviticus verse seems to have 'for the dead' as its context. Also, do preachers shave? because the next verse seems to speak of not cutting the corners of beards. Presumably if preachers shave they are backhandedly admitting they are New Testament Christians under grace, for whom the Gospel (encompassing the use of proven effective witness means) is the rule of life, rather than being Old Testament Jews in the land under the law.

My wife and I talked to a young lady with the whole of John 3.16 tattooed on her wrist area; it was her favorite Bible verse and mine also; and I'm sure other conversations have arisen as a result of her willingness to go ahead and have it done.

Excellent point there about keeping looking to the Lord. I guess the young lady mentioned would say this is one way for her to do so.

I believe Paul in one of his writings speaks that we are called to serve God in whatever state we are in at that point. His emphasis was on the topic of circumcision, however the passage is all encompassing and could very well include tattoos.

Essentially if we are uncircumsized and are called to God then we should remain uncircumsized. The same could be said for having tattoos.

However if our body is made in God's image, isn't writing on our body's (our temples used for praising God) placing our own image of ourselves over God's image? It's no better than placing our own will above his.

Sin can very well be utilized to bring others into the conversation and onto the topic of God. But does that mean we should go and commit a sin just to try and speak with people about it and lead them to God through that?

 

[Peter John]

The question that needs to be asked is:
Is this activity being done for God or for myself?
e.g

Does this selfie posted on instagram, snapchat, facebook benefit God's kingdom?

Does pumping myself up in the mirror at the gym benefit God's kingdom?

Am I attempting to get others to idolize me?

Do I idolize the feeling of gaining attention from others?

The same questions can be asked for topics such as tattoos or piercings. Do they benefit God's kingdom? Am I attempting to gain others attention from dying hair, tattoos, piercings?

The answer is that God does not benefit from any of these.
So you should not place stock into any of them! They are solely concerns of the flesh not of God.

Post photos instead, if you choose so, to show your thanks to God.

Workout instead to build your body so that it will remain healthy in this life so that you may continue giving glorying to the Lord, unhindered by complications of health.

As well, in any position of life we can praise God! Taking care of yourself by God's standards will make it easier to then take care of others!

Leviticus is reference enough for tattoos. Remember your body is not your own, treat it as such. Because it has been rented to you by God, to further HIS WILL. It is not means to by used to gain a following or draw attention to yourself ! Instead seek to grow the following that is Christ, giving all attention to him.

This is exactly where I'm coming from. There is obviously self-expression from all sorts of people, but if God has chosen us, we are in the world, but not of the world, so our self has to die daily, so we can live spiritually, & not carnally, which goes against our human nature. When we conform to the likeness of Christ, that will happen slowly, over time.

 

[faroukfarouk]

I believe Paul in one of his writings speaks that we are called to serve God in whatever state we are in at that point. His emphasis was on the topic of circumcision, however the passage is all encompassing and could very well include tattoos.

Essentially if we are uncircumsized and are called to God then we should remain uncircumsized. The same could be said for having tattoos.

However if our body is made in God's image, isn't writing on our body's (our temples used for praising God) placing our own image of ourselves over God's image? It's no better than placing our own will above his.

Sin can very well be utilized to bring others into the conversation and onto the topic of God. But does that mean we should go and commit a sin just to try and speak with people about it and lead them to God through that?

You must search the Scriptures and come to your own conclusions about this and about such a lot of things. This is partly what Romans 14 is all about: Christian liberty.

Just remember that so many Godly believers won't necessarily think in exactly the same way as you and may in fact be able to refer to Scriptures which in their understanding do give them some element of personal discretion to use a proven effective witness means.

 

[mm17162646]

This is exactly where I'm coming from. There is obviously self-expression from all sorts of people, but if God has chosen us, we are in the world, but not of the world, so our self has to die daily, so we can live spiritually, & not carnally, which goes against our human nature. When we conform to the likeness of Christ, that will happen slowly, over time.

Amen. There is no point to try and be unique when our identity is in Christ. Those who follow him will all achieve the same likeness which is him!

God bless my friend!

 

[faroukfarouk]

This is exactly where I'm coming from. There is obviously self-expression from all sorts of people, but if God has chosen us, we are in the world, but not of the world, so our self has to die daily, so we can live spiritually, & not carnally, which goes against our human nature. When we conform to the likeness of Christ, that will happen slowly, over time.

Like I said to @Mdog123abc , you must search the Scriptures and come to your own conclusions about this and about such a lot of things. This is partly what Romans 14 is all about: Christian liberty.

Just remember that so many Godly believers won't necessarily think in exactly the same way as you and may in fact be able to refer to Scriptures which in their understanding do give them some element of personal discretion to use a proven effective witness means.

 

[faroukfarouk]

Amen. There is no point to try and be unique when our identity is in Christ. Those who follow him will all achieve the same likeness which is him!

God bless my friend!

Good general sentiment; but this does not mean regimenting all local church members into untattooed and tattooed groups and then giving the tattooed a hard time and putting them under discipline. This would be utter legalism.

 

[mm17162646]

Good general sentiment; but this does not mean regimenting all local church members into untattooed and tattooed groups and then giving the tattooed a hard time and putting them under discipline. This would be utter legalism.

No one is speaking of placing people into groups or harassing others with tattoos. We are all ,as Christians, one group that is Christ. His likeness is not so much about our physical traits, but of our thoughts and behaviors.

The thought or behavior of getting a tattoo to gain attention or for pursuits of new-found self esteem is hollow. It will not achieve anything. We do not deserve attention, solely Christ. And we are only made strong through the Holy Spirit.

And if the thought or behavior to get a tattoo is to reel in more followers through relating with others, then I believe there are more effective ways to achieve that. God will open people's hearts, we do not need to be covert to grow God's kingdom. We can proclaim it loud and true, not in the form of a less effective tattoo. And in the process mark our body's when God has created us as we are.

I referenced what Paul said, because we shouldn't be paying attention to what state people are in when the come to God, tattoos or no tattoos . But we should be paying attention to what new steps they take as a Christian.

Agreed scripture should always be the first reference.

Blessings my friend.

 

[faroukfarouk]

The thought or behavior of getting a tattoo to gain attention or for pursuits of new-found self esteem is hollow. It will not achieve anything.

@Mdog123abc The young lady with whom my wife and I spoke, who had John 3.16 inked on her wrist area actually seemed shy and modest, the opposite of an attention-seeker. What her faith ink did achieve was cause us to talk about God's Word at that wonderful verse that encapsulates the Gospel so well; and I'm sure that other conversations have also arisen as a result of her willingness to use the parlor for that purpose.

Thanks for your various comments; blessings.

 

[Peter John]

No one is speaking of placing people into groups or harassing others with tattoos. We are all ,as Christians, one group that is Christ. His likeness is not so much about our physical traits, but of our thoughts and behaviors.

The thought or behavior of getting a tattoo to gain attention or for pursuits of new-found self esteem is hollow. It will not achieve anything. We do not deserve attention, solely Christ. And we are only made strong through the Holy Spirit.

And if the thought or behavior to get a tattoo is to reel in more followers through relating with others, then I believe there are more effective ways to achieve that. God will open people's hearts, we do not need to be covert to grow God's kingdom. We can proclaim it loud and true, not in the form of a less effective tattoo. And in the process mark our body's when God has created us as we are.

I referenced what Paul said, because we shouldn't be paying attention to what state people are in when the come to God, tattoos or no tattoos . But we should be paying attention to what new steps they take as a Christian.

Agreed scripture should always be the first reference.

Blessings my friend.

Well said, a fellow supporter of a Christ centred lifestyle, not always easy, as we often go against the flow & fashions of this world, & it's temptations.

 

[faroukfarouk]

I do not understand why we need to agree. I have no problem worshipping with people who are covered in tats and I don't ask them if they are pre or post salvation. ... I work in a casino...lol. Go figure. So it's not about being up-tight or straight-laced, its just about being aware of your testimony. How does it effect a person's walk with the Lord. I personally think if churches compromise the gospel they do a disservice to the gospel but if they compromise on the non-essentials (like tats) that is a good place to be open to change. ...

If the Lord lead me, I'd get a tat for Him.

Everyone will have different views about non essential matters; and if we supposedly did have to agree on absolutely everything, we would be in a cult.

 

[faroukfarouk]

Well said, a fellow supporter of a Christ centred lifestyle, not always easy, as we often go against the flow & fashions of this world, & it's temptations.

I do agree with your general sentiment. It's not necessary however for everyone to have the same opinions about every single thing; this would be against Romans 14.