Is it OK for Christians to Have Tattoos?

The number of people with tattoos has increased dramatically in recent years, especially among people under the age of 40. It’s estimated that one in five U.S. adults has at least one tattoo. Entertainers, professional athletes, and even a version of the Barbie doll have them. Recently, 40% of American households report having at least one person with a tattoo. It seems that the old social taboos around tattoos are no longer relevant, as more and more people, including Christians, are getting them.

But in some religious circles, there are those who hold the opinion that Christians must never get a tattoo because it is a sinful practice and at the same time, there are Christian youth pastors who have visible tattoos.

So, What’s the Answer?

There is only one verse that specifically mentions it, Leviticus 19:28… That verse is often used by some to associate tattoos with sinful behavior. But we must be careful about taking any one verse out of context… so let’s look further and start at verse 23. The verses that proceed it deal with eating certain foods, divination, sorcery, and men’s hairstyles. In Old Testament times these things were associated with idolatry and pagan rituals. Here, the Jews were being warned not to engage in these practices of the people living around them, including, but not limited to tattoos.

 “23 Now when you enter the land and plant all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as forbidden. For three years it shall be forbidden to you; it shall not be eaten. 24 And in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord. 25 But in the fifth year you shall eat its fruit, so that its yield may increase for you; I am the Lord your God. 26 ‘You shall not eat any meat with the blood. You shall not practice divination nor soothsaying. 27 You shall not round off the hairline of your heads, nor trim the edges of your beard. 28 You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead, nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 19:23-28 NASB)

Why?

In the period after the Jews’ exodus from slavery in Egypt, archeological evidence indicates that the superstitious tattooing of women’s body parts was associated with fertility and giving birth. These tattoos were often images of Bes, the pagan goddess of fertility. Other evidence indicates the Canaanites of the time would brand or slash their bodies for ritualistic purposes (1 Kings 18:28), especially to mourn their dead and honor their gods.

With the first two of the ten commandments, God forbade us to engage in the worship of false gods and idolatry, because He knows these things will lead us away from Him…

 “You shall have no other gods before me.” (First Commandment)

 “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.”  (Second Commandment)

God’s will then, as it is now, is to set His people apart from worldly cultures.

What About People Who Want to Come to Christ, But Already Have Tattoos?

A few years ago, I baptized a man who had gang-related tattoos on his face, neck, and arms. He had repented of his prior lifestyle and moved nearly a thousand miles away from his old gang’s territory. (His hope was that one day he could have his tattoos removed to reflect his new life in Christ.) The point is that we don’t have to clean up, dress up, or get rid of tattoos in order to come to Christ. Jesus died for all of us… not just for people without tattoos.

In Romans, Paul sheds more light on this…

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12: 1-2 NASB)

So Where Does This Leave Us in the 21st Century?

Tattoos can be powerful messages that visually communicate one’s values. Think about what your immediate reaction might be to someone with a skull and crossbones tattoo and what instantly goes through your mind. Christians should not want tattoos that identify with anything in popular culture that is ungodly or anti-Christian like new age symbols, criminality, death, cults, satanism, or eastern mysticism. Such tattoos are not good witness. Before getting any tattoo, one should ask themselves… “What is it that I want to communicate to the world about who I am and what my values are?” and “What is it that I want to achieve, experience, or feel by getting a tattoo?”

At the same time, we must ask ourselves if we are still engaging in the behaviors or drawn the lifestyle represented by such tattoos or if we have rejected them as part of our walk with the Lord…

As followers of Christ, we are not to be conformed or allow ourselves to be molded by the world’s ungodly culture around us. In other words, be in the world but not a part of it. As Christians, we are to live in a way that non-Christians can see that there is something “different” about us. God’s will is that we be “set apart” from worldly (secular) culture. As Leviticus 19:23-28 instructs us, we should avoid being engaged in the practices of unbelievers living around us concerning not only tattoos, but insofar as our choices in the music we listen to, the movies we watch, and the clothing we wear.

The Bottom Line is This…

Tattoos are NOT a “lose your salvation” issue if you are a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ.

If your tattoo(s) reflect the types of ungodly images mentioned above, consider covering, altering, or removing them if possible. If they’re neutral images like lightning bolts, butterflies, or your girlfriend’s name, what’s done is done.

If you are thinking about getting a tattoo, resist acting in haste… tattoos are expensive and painful to get rid of. Seek advice from mature Christians, preferably more than one, before running out and getting a tattoo you may live to regret. Consider the words of Paul:

19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought for a price… therefore glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6: 19-20 NASB)