I received an email this week after I posted last.  A friend of mine brought up the subject of Leviticus 19: 28. 
"Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD." (NIV)
This is obviously a bit of a sticking point for Christians, because the Bible is apparently forbidding us to get tattoos.  My friend's point was that, for many people in the Church, the issue would not be so much with the stereotypes of people that get tattoos, but more with the law forbidding them.
Personally, I don't feel like that verse is really an issue for me.  There are two reasons for this:
1. I think that it is talking specifically to the Israelites at the time.  They had just left a pagan land, and were about to enter another.  The people living in those lands were in the habit of making marks on their bodies as part of their pagan rituals and worship.  God was teaching his people that they were set apart from those nations, and this was one of the ways that he wanted them to demonstrate this.
2. Many of the laws in the Old Testament are considered irrelevant to us now.  For example, Leviticus 19: 27 (the one just before this one) instructs the Israelites
"Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard." (NIV)
I certainly have no problem with cutting that hair.  I sometimes have a beard, but it's got nothing to do with my conviction regarding this law. 
Paul and the other New Testament writers constantly come back to the idea that Jesus completed the law.  Without Jesus, there was a need for the law, but now it is irrelevant.  So long as we put our faith in Jesus, we have relationship with the Father, so it doesn't matter whether we obey the law to the letter.  That's not to say that God doesn't convict us when we disobey him, but there's a new covenant in place here.

I'm not going to write a sermon here, I just wanted to open up the debate.  If you have a problem with tattoos, I'm not going to tell you you're wrong, and that you should get one.  But I am pretty certain on what I believe, and I believe that there's nothing wrong with me getting and receiving tattoos.

I'm not done on this topic - in fact, I'm fairly sure that it's going to be a recurring theme on this blog.  I'll come back to what JLaw said in another post.

Thoughts?

 


Comments

Matt link
09/16/2008 22:17

I personally agree with you Mark. I think it's all about context. I've also heard that the ancient tattoos mentioned in the Bible have to do with incantations to Baal and other foreign gods.
I also agree on the point of the law.
I think it's very unwise to mark yourself with anything offensive or unGodly. I think that what you mark yourself with makes a stance. We all know the power of words to invite good and bad stuff in, how much more powerful the words and symbols we put on our bodies forever than those we speak with our mouths?
I think that tattoos can even be God-honouring. If I'm choosing to mark myself with something that is good and positive and Godly, then I see nothing wrong with that.
That's my stance on the matter.

Reply
Steve Hollema
09/24/2008 09:18

I remember Cleetus Adrain (he has many tattoos, and most definitly being used by God through it) talking about this Christianity vs Tattooing topic. He quoted a scripture from Song of Solomon.
Song of Solomon 8:6 Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm;
I forget the context he used about the verse, but it was really good.

I myself have no problem with people getting tattoos. And I love the song by Jordin Sparks 'Tattoo', hahaha. I even have a few ideas of tattoos that I might get some day. I'll let you know Mark when I want to finally get inked.

Reply
Jacob
10/03/2008 09:22

Actually, Leviticus 19:28 says don't cut your bodies FOR THE DEAD or tattoo yourselves.

It's a warning against ancestor worship and tattooing your self or marking yourself as an act of worship or invocation of your ancestors.

Great post man, I appreciate the dialog, as one about to be tatooed.

Reply
Jessica
10/03/2008 12:13

Wow, well put Mark.
I would have to agree with you on this topic as well. I personally don't have any tatoos but I've asked Holy Spirit about this and it really comes down to out personal relationship with Him.
God looks at the heart of man as it says in 1 Samuel 16:7 "The Lord does not look at the things Human beings look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." So if you are getting tatoo's because you are expressing the God given creativity inside you and you and God have had a chat about it, than go for it.
Go know's our hearts and the motives behind our actions, words, thoughts and deeds and at the end of the day it comes down to inimacy with Him.

Mark your stuff is great and I pray that God would continue to inspire you and be your hands when you aren't!

Bless ya and if I ever venture in the direction of getting a tatoo I will give you a shout!

Reply



Leave a Reply