TODAY'S TOPICS - TATTOOS
THE GROWING TREND
Tattoos have gained increasing prominence in the past decade. Life magazine estimated in 1936 that 10 million Americans, or approximately 6% of the population had at least one tattoo. A Harris Poll, done in 2003, nearly triples those numbers and estimates that 16% of Americans now have one or more tattoos. 36% of those ages 18 to 25, and 40 percent of those ages 26 to 40, have at least one tattoo, according to a fall 2006 survey by the Pew Research Center. The National Geographic News stated in April 2000 that 15% of Americans were tattooed (or approximately 40 million people)
There are an estimated 20,000+ parlors operating in the United States, according to a U.S. News & World Report article, which said, on the average, an establishment is being added in the country every day. The article ranked tattooing as the sixth fastest growing retail venture of the 1990s, right behind Internet, paging services, bagels, computer and cellular phone service. According to a news article out of Rochester, NY on October 8, 2003, "A recent Harris Poll finds that 16% of all adults have at least one tattoo. The highest incidence of tattoos was found among the gay, lesbian and bisexual population (31%) and among Americans ages 25 to 29 years (36%) and 30 to 39 years (28%). Democrats are more likely to have tattoos (18%) than Republicans (14%) and Independents (12%) while nearly equal percentages of males (16%) and females (15%) have tattoos."
HOW DO TATTOOS MAKE PEOPLE FEEL?
Among Americans with tattoos, 34% said having a tattoo has made them feel sexier. Interestingly, more tattooed females (42%) feel this way than males (25%). Additionally, those with tattoos said that having a tattoo has made them feel more rebellious (29%) while others said a tattoo makes them feel more attractive (26%). But tattoos apparently won't do much for your intelligence or your physique, as few Americans reported that tattoos make them feel more intelligent (5%), more healthy (4%), or more athletic (3%).
For the most part, tattoos used to be the mark of the rebellious, the drunkard, and the prisoner. Today, tattoos are found in every segment of society, and slowly, but surely tattoos are becoming popular for Christian young people. So, the question before us is, what does the Bible say about tattoos and body piercing?
OT LAW
We will answer that question by starting in the Old Testament (OT). Leviticus 19:1-2 reads, "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, (2) Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy." Verse 28 of the same chapter reads, "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD." The context, according to verses 1 and 2, is the holiness (separation) of the people of God from their surrounding culture; they were not to adopt pagan practices and were to distinguish themselves as the people of God by holy practices.
It was a pagan practice to cut oneself to identify with the pain of one who died. In addition, it was a pagan practice to mark or tattoo their slaves to show ownership, much like a cattle brand. The practice became part of idol worship as people were tattooed or marked to show their devotion to their idols, or to show that they were slaves to the idols. Concerning piercings, I would encourage you to read Genesis 35:1-4 and Exodus 32:2-4. In Genesis, Jacob’s clan consecrated themselves to the Lord by removing their earrings and idols. Also, in Exodus, the Jews that left Egypt had apparently adopted the Egyptian (pagan) practice of piercing themselves. They removed their earrings and other jewels and made themselves a golden calf that they called their god instead of Jehovah. The pagans wore earrings and other jewelry with symbols of their gods on them. Apparently, the Jews did the same thing with a symbol of their God. They were upset with God about their journey so far and Moses' delay, that they turned on God and made their symbols into another god.
Now, anytime an OT Scripture is referenced regarding any issue, the common response from those whose practice is condemned is that the OT is no longer in force because Jesus Christ issued a New Covenant or Testament. The battle cry is, “We are no longer under law, we are under grace.” This is true, but only within context. The major emphasis in the New Testament (NT) concerning the OT and the law has to do with the means of justification, not the principles or restrictions placed upon God’s people. We are not justified by works or keeping the Law, but we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ apart from the Law. Does that mean that it is now ok to take the Lord's name in vain? Obviously not! Therefore, when we are talking about being under grace, we mean that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by our own works. As an aside, it must be stated that this was always true, even during OT times. OT people were under grace also and were justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It was just as impossible for them to keep the Law as it is for us today. But that is for another time.
Let's look at the verses surrounding the verse in question (Lev 19:28) to see if they still apply to us. Lev 19:29 says, "Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness." Does this prohibition still apply? Without a doubt! What about 19:26-27? "(26) Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times. (27) Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard." Is it ok for the Christian today to eat things with blood, practice witchcraft, or use omens to predict the future? Is it ok to cut our beards or hair to mark our allegiance to pagan idols? I don't think so. What about verses 19:3-18 that deal with teh way we treat our neighbor? The verses concerning sacrifices obviously don’t apply because the sacrifice of Jesus Christ put an end to all sacrifices. The other verses concerning how we treat our neighbors are still in effect. The verses concerning farming the land may not be in effect by the letter of the law, but certainly in spirit the principle still applies that we should help meet the needs of the poor and the stranger.
Another thing to remember when applying the OT is that the OT principle is still in effect unless overturned by the NT. For example, we don't keep Saturday as the Sabbath anymore because the Apostles and early disciples began assembling upon the first day of the week in honor of the Lord and His resurrection. Also, the prohibition against eating things that were deemed unclean in the OT such as fish without scales (catfish) and shell fish (lobster, crab) was lifted in the NT according to the dream that God gave to Peter. Therefore, the OT law was overturned in the NT.
Also, under grace it is the spirit of the OT law that applies, not the letter of the law. In other words, find the reason for the law or the principle behind the law. Many times, the NT principle is expressly stated for us. For example, notice Deuteronomy 22:5 “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.” Many people use this verse to say that women shouldn’t wear pants of any sort. However, what is the principle or spirit of the law? It was given to maintain distinction among the sexes. Men shouldn’t appear to look like women and women shouldn’t appear to look like men. This is repeated in the NT, as well in 1 Corinthians 11. The specific principle concerning what women should wear is given in the NT in 1 Timothy 2:9-10 “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; (10) But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.”
So, to sum all of this up, the prohibition against marking the body is not overturned in the NT, and therefore, must still be in effect in the spirit of the law or in principle. Thus, we should be able to find a NT principle or two that deals with the issue of tattoos.
NT PRINCIPLES
We are told that we were made in the image of God in Genesis 1:26. This truth is repeated in the NT in 1 Corinthians 11:7. We, in some way, reflect the image of God by way of His special creation. Though fallen, according to Paul, man still bears the image of God. To mar that image with the marks of servitude (as tattoos were used for either servitude to man or servitude to idols) is to dishonor God.
We are also told that our bodies are God's temple and belong to the Him in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. Let's think about that for just a second. Let's say we lived under Solomon's reign in the OT. He has just finished dedicating the temple and God moves in and shakes the place. It is a great moment in Israel's history. Would you have taken a paint brush and painted a beautiful cross on the outside of that temple? Would you spray paint a church today with graffiti? Most of us wouldn't because we recognize that these places are called the house of God in the Bible. We wouldn't mess with where God lives. Well, the Bible plainly declares that the believer is the temple of God and that God's owns him or her. What right do any of us have to put graffiti on the Lord’s temple?
There are more principles that apply to tattoos and many other areas of life. For instance, in 1 Corinthians 10:23 there is teh principle of edification. Is a tattoo edifying? Does it build me up in my service and worship of Jesus Christ? There is the principle of exaltation in 1 Corinthians 10:31. Does a tattoo glorify God or man? Finally, there is the principle of evangelism in 1 Cor 10:32-33. Will a tattoo be a stumbling block to anyone?
SIGN OF REBELLION
One final comment before we move to the next point. If you examine who gets tattoos and when most people get them, I believe that you will find that is a form of rebellion against the establishment, against the norm, against their parents, etc. Many young people get them about the time they are becoming young men and women. It is their way of showing that they can now do as they please. It is their way of taking ownership of their bodies.
THE MARKS OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
I can hear the Christian teen or the young Christian adult saying, “What if I want a tattoo to show everyone my faith in Christ?” Well, there might be a better way to demonstrate your faith in Christ than getting a tattoo. Buy a t-shirt. Rent a billboard. Or, better yet, suffer persecution like the Apostle Paul - Galatians 6:17 "From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Or even better, follow the admonition of the Lord Jesus Christ in John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. (35) By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
CONCLUSION
Based upon these facts (the Old Testament command against marking our bodies and the NT principles) I would conclude that God would rather I leave my body free from self-inflicted marks and cuts. We were made in "the image of God." Apparently God thinks that is good enough.
What if you already have a tattoo? Are you doomed for hell? Obviously not. Tattoos, just like alcohol, cigarettes, gambling, lying, etc., never sent anyone to hell. Rejecting Jesus Christ sends people to hell. We come to Jesus just as we are, with all our imperfections bodily, emotionally, and spiritually. If you have received a tattoo since becoming a believer and you now believe it is a sin, you need to do what the Bible prescribes for sin - and what every other believer does when he sins - confess you sin to Jesus and the Bible promises He will be faithful and just in forgiving your sin (1 John 1:9). Remember, we all bear scars from previous sins. Some just happen to be more visible than others.
Finally, if you are not convinced that getting a tattoo is a sin against God, I would simply ask that you continue to search the Scriptures and pray about the issue before making a choice that will affect you for the rest of your life.
That is just my 2 cents. It is now your turn to fire away.
