WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT TATTOOS? pt. 5
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT TATTOOS? pt. 5
Do Not be Conformed to This World
Even if we totally leave out the Old Testament argument against tattoos, the aformentioned Scriptures in the previous posts in this series make it clear that avoiding tattoos is the preferable choice for Christians. In order to please God, we must walk in faith in following His commands (2 Corinthians 5:7; Hebrews 11:6), because “whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). In other words, we can’t simply hope we are doing the right thing; we must know by the leading of the Holy Spirit and by God’s Word.
Furthermore, let’s remind ourselves of these commands.
“Do not be conformed to this world.” -Romans 12:2
“Therefore ‘Come out from among them and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.’” -2 Corinthians 6:17
With all we have reviewed so far, it seems evident that we could make a strong case that abstaining from tattooing is probably better represented in the New Testament than even the Old. I will say that again in case you glazed over it. A strong case could be made that abstaining from tattooing is probably better represented in the New Testament than even the Old.
This was pointed out to me by my friend, Brent Denney, who was tattooed early in life later to regret it. I asked Brent to chime in on this discussion. He writes:
“The Bible teaches us that the pride of life (pride in oneself: appearance, possessions, status, etc.) is not from God. As I reflect on it now, I realize without a doubt that pride of life was the only motivation behind my decision to get tattooed decades ago as a young adult. One of the tattoos (I have three) included my first wife’s name. Notice, I said, ‘first wife.’ Yes, things change, and so do people! But my regret was more than just the loss of my marriage. You can imagine the humiliation! When I turned my life completely over to Christ years later, following the divorce, I began to receive greater revelation on God’s Word, especially 1 Corinthians 6:20, which says to ‘glorify God with your body.’ But what is there to do with a tattoo after regret sets in? I attempted having them lasered off, but that proved to be painful, awfully expensive, and grossly ineffective. Through much prayer and deliberation, I saw fit to pursue a new tattoo with a Christian motif to cover my ex-wife’s name. However, I have to be ever mindful even now to avoid the trap of yielding to the pride of life over the new tattoo.”
In galvanizing my point, Brent made a decision that he later regretted, which many of us do. But in this case of a tattoo, that decision could not easily be undone. Therefore, in an attempt to minimize the collateral damage (i.e. his first wife’s name being on his arm that was constantly visible to his new wife), and perhaps bring glory to God in some way since the large tattoo on his arm could not easily be removed, Brent chose rather to modify it by tattooing over it. In a case like this I cannot find fault with this decision. Yet Brent feels that if he had it to do over he would never get tattooed in the first place.
If a Christian already has a tattoo, therefore, it is his or her decision whether to leave it alone, cover it up or have it removed. Remember, God’s grace covers any and all sins when we repent. If a Christian already has a tattoo, it might be in keeping with these standards of holiness to refrain from showing it off or displaying it if possible. That is not to say that a Christian man with a tattoo cannot take his shirt off at the beach because of fearing it might send the wrong message. In all things we must be led by the Holy Spirit and always seek to honor God while also walking in our New Covenant freedom. This is not always an easy balancing act, but the person who truly wishes to please God and walk in the Spirit will find it.
Let Your Qualities do the Talking
Why do people get tattoos? In some cases, they may be trying to navigate low self-esteem. It may be to fit in with a particular group of people. In other cases, perhaps a person is trying to remind himself or herself of a truth he/she wants to live by with a saying or even a Bible verse on their skin. This latter motive may be more noble than the former, but the motive cannot justify the means if the method is against the commands of God.
The Old Testament addresses this latter desire as well, instructing the people of God to fasten the Word of God on their wrists and foreheads in order to take them out and look at them often. It says also to put them on the doorposts of one’s house so they are seen coming and going (See Deuteronomy 6:6-9). But nowhere does it say to tattoo the Word of God on one’s skin.
Therefore, why not let one’s character qualities do the talking? Why not make a mark on the world with good works, the fruits of the Spirit, and love for our fellow man? As Christians, we are called to be “peculiar” people who stand out as different (see Exodus 19:5, KJV), not to blend in so that no one can tell the difference between us and the world. Why not make a statement with godliness in word, deed, and appearance?
There is an axiom representing a universal truth about which all of us would do well to better understand: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Many people work very hard to impress others with their knowledge, when it is not one’s knowledge that people really care about. How we treat people is what others care about, regardless of what one’s level of knowledge, talent or success.
The same is true with one’s appearance. Think for a moment about some of the people you admire and like the most. In most cases we do not admire or like people because of their appearance. The people we like or admire the most are people who do good in the world and/or who make us feel good when we are around them. Some of those people may be very unattractive in terms of their physical appearance, but we like them anyway because they are good people and they make us feel special. Similarly, some of the people we dislike the most may be very attractive physically, but they may draw our disdain because of selfishness, arrogance, rudeness or some other form of intolerable foolishness. Looks do not make the person in terms of character, and those who think so are deceived.
It would be good advice to make it one’s ambition to simply be as good a person as one knows how to be, making one’s mark on the world by loving others in a Christlike fashion. In doing so, we must also make it our aim to run from anything which is even questionable, avoiding the very appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). Let us turn away from anything which might associate us with worldliness, not attempting to “Christianize” things born in pride or self-exaltation. If we make it our aim to love others and avoid even the appearance of evil, we will rarely go wrong.
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In the next post we will discuss the problem of prominent Christian influencers who have been tattooed since giving their lives to Christ.