Leviticus 19:26-28
26 ‘You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor shall you practice divination or soothsaying. 27 You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard. 28 You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the LORD.
Please be sure to read and get the entire context of these verses. In biblical days, tattoos and piercings were used to mark slaves. Often they were used to identify with pagan gods.
These verses clearly speak to how God’s people are to be different from surrounding culture, and especially idol worship. They prohibit cutting the hair on the side of the head or the beard and cutting the body either for the dead or with tattoo marks. These activities were practiced by pagans especially during times of mourning for the land. The Israelites were not to emulate pagan practices in this regard since they maintained a sacredness for life and for the human body.
The body is a marvelous creation of God. Its wholeness represents the beauty and perfection of holiness. Thus the body is to be kept whole. It is not to be intentionally harmed or marred in any way.
However, we must be careful that we do not fall to the fault of applying part of the Scripture if we do not follow all of it. We DO trim our beards, and we Do trim our sideburns. If you notice the Orthodox Jews and the curls that flow down the sides from the sideburns, that is what it refers to. So, if we enforce one, why do we not enforce both.
While I do not like tattoos, the biblical prohibition was because it was an outward show of pagan belief and God’s people were not to be identified as being “conformed to that lifestyle” but different—set apart. It is probably a stretch to make the same application today. Our problem is that often we look at the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law. Many other areas of lifestyle identify us with the “world” rather than with God, from places we go, things we do, etc.
The bottom line for me is the question, “Does it honor Christ?” The Scripture is very clear, “Whatever you do, do all the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31).” If God cannot be glorified in it, we should not do it.
Both of my boys have chosen not to listen to their Dad. Their tattoos do not blaspheme or mark them to idols, but they do in my mind disfigure their bodies and I personally believe they will one day regret them. Their tattoos honor their Country, but I am not sure they honor their God. But I don’t think religious tattoos would either. It is not what is on the outside in profession. It is what is on the inside as possession that causes the outside to be what it ought to be. It is from the inside out—not outside in.
jkp
