Tatoo or not tooTat...

MAN LOOKS AT THE OUTSIDE. GOD LOOKS AT THE HEART: Getting a tattoo is all the rage these days, and many Christians are trying to decide if they should get a tattoo or not. To tattoo or not to tattoo? THAT is the question. I have been designing mine for awhile now - as I did so, I researched what our Lord had to say on the issue, and this is what I found.

What does the Bible say? Many Christians will quote Leviticus 19:28 as support to their claim that Christians should never get a tattoo: "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD." - Leviticus 19:28. Can one believe that Jesus is Lord and that He came to save the world through grace and love and still accept this verse as applicable to us today? It sounds harsh, but it's true. Why? The answer is simple. Christ gave us a New Law, one that supersedes Old Testament Laws like this one in Leviticus.

Oddly, proponents of this verse neglect to consider some other verses in that same book, Chapter 19. There's verse 9, that says: "When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest." Verse 19 reads: "Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material." Verse 26: "Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it." Verse 27: "Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard." Verse 28: "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord."

As you can see, many of the other rules laid out in Leviticus are not followed today. This does not mean that the whole book of Leviticus, or even the Bible itself, should not be followed. It just means that we need to carefully analyze what the theme of the Bible is, and realize what its application is for us today.

The book of Leviticus contains laws intended to keep the children of Israel healthy and holy for God. Tattoos were extremely dangerous and could result in injury, disease, or death. The verse also refers to a pagan ritual of putting tattoo marks on oneself for the dead, in order to protect oneself from the spirit world and the wrath of other gods.

Many Christians do not fully understand the saving grace that was given to us through the humanity and death of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We are under a new covenant where His sacrifice covers our sins in a different way than the old Levitical laws did, which is seen in the letter to Hebrews which states: "But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises. For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another," Hebrews 8:6-7.

Now, this does not give us license to sin (we don't need one for we will all sin anyway; it's what we do). We are still responsible for our behavior and how it affects our spiritual lives and the lives of others. For example, the letter to the Romans states: "Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall." -Romans 14:20-21.

From this we can see that it is important to think carefully through all of the effects that getting a tattoo can have on oneself, on our relationships, and on one's future. For some this may mean that getting a tattoo will increase their ability to witness to others, while in other communities having a tattoo would greatly diminish this ability.

SHOULD A CHRISTIAN GET A TATTOO? The conclusion then is that there may not be an answer to "Should Christians get tattoos?" Each of us may have to answer this question for ourselves after taking time to think and pray about it. But, let's be careful not to shun those who have or display tattoos, or make the blanket statement that they can't be a Christian because they have a tattoo. To do this would be to "destroy the work of God" instead of taking time to reach the lost. It is a naive closed-mindedness, as some of the most spiritually challenging and encouraging friends I have, have tattoos proclaiming their faith unabashedly. The burden lies with those Christians who choose to get a tattoo. They need to prove to their critics that their faith is based on more than just tattoos; it is supported by Truth as well. And they must pray as often as possible that divisive but trivial issues (such as body art) are cast aside in favor of unity as one body of Christ!

My Tattoos are only waiting for the right artist. I've decided on what I want, and the placement, I just am waiting for the best execution for them. They will be with me forever, so I aint in no hurry =). "Faith." in black script will be written inside my left foot beneath my ankle bone. Below is the rough layout of the verse referenced vertically on my left Achilles tendon. I am choosing between two verse references now (Proverbs 16:9 and 2 Corinthians 5:7) so this part of the duo is still under construction and in prayer.