Leviticus 19:28 -
Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I [am]
the LORD.
As you can see here the Bible clearly states that one shouldn't mark his body with tattoos. Now let's say the Bible never even mentioned tattoos but we still had two key things in the Bible to go off of.
Is it modest?
1 Timothy 2:9 -
In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest
apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided
hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;
Think sisters what is more plain and modest? surely not a body
covered in ink. God created us in His imagine let us not cover it
with ink, rather let us dress with shamfacedness and modesty. Tattoos covering the body isn't modest, we as Christians are to strive to dress simply, not with heavy adornments and in a way you could count tattoos as an adornment of the body, permanent adornment.
Are you set apart for God?
Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by
testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Brothers and sisters I have stressed this in other articles and I will say it again we as Christians are supposed to separate for God. We are not only to act but to look different from those who don't follow the Bibles teachings. We are to strive everyday to react differently, talk respectfully, dress modestly (men too) and just overall project that of Christ's image.
Your Body is not your own.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which
ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
We are Christians our body's are not our own, we have no right to mark up the temple of the Holy Ghost. Our bodies where bought with a price, they are not our own but belong to the Lord. Let us as Christians keep our bodies as God has made them and not alter them with ink injected into our bodies.
Health Risks:
I did some research on different websites and here's what I found.
1. Allergic reactions. Tattoo dyes — especially red, green, yellow and blue dyes — can cause allergic skin reactions, such as an itchy rash at the tattoo site. This can occur even years after you get the tattoo.
2. Skin infections. A skin infection — which might cause redness, swelling, pain and a pus-like drainage — is possible after tattooing.
3. Other skin problems. Sometimes bumps called granulomas form around tattoo ink. Tattooing can also lead to keloids — raised areas caused by an overgrowth of scar tissue.
4. Bloodborne diseases. If the equipment used to create your tattoo is contaminated with infected blood, you can contract various bloodborne diseases — including tetanus, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
5. MRI complications. Rarely, tattoos or permanent makeup might cause swelling or burning in the affected areas during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exams. In some cases, tattoo pigments can interfere with the quality of the image — such as when a person who has permanent eyeliner has an MRI of the eye.
It's not worth the risk!
Please dear brothers and sisters of Christ let us dress modestly and be set aprat for God. I pray this article has helped you all in some way, and I hope you have all are having a very blessed New Years!
10 comments:
What of tattoos of crosses, verses, or things like "fully redeemed"? Smaller tattoos that don't cover the body or even a large portion of it? Also, Leviticus was written specifically for God's people in that time. He was keeping them apart from the pagans around them - nearly all the rules in Leviticus were there because of a pagan ritual involving the practice
@Prettyful Exactly God was trying to keep them apart from pagans then and we should we striving to keep our self's apart from them now. I believe tattoos are in poor taste anyway especially for a young lady, they aren't modest even in a small portion as they draw attention to the spot were the ink is injected and Christian women are called to dress plainly and modestly, having a mark or drawing on oneself really doesn't fit that mold. And there are many many other ways to show the world your a Christian than injecting ink into one's body. God bless!
Let me elaborate - all the rules put down in Leviticus were put down because of pagan religious rituals. They would scar and mark themselves in temples, there would be homosexual activity in the temples (prostitutes, actually) and such. God out these down to make it clear that those things are ineffective and that they are His people. We don't have those kinds of rituals today, not in most of the world. Why should we use Leviticus to disallow tattoos, but still eat meat and shellfish, and wear clothing of mixed cloths, and plant our fields with a blend of crops? There are other ways to show you are a Christian, but I don't think that this shouldn't be able to be one. Also, there are tattoos you can get that won't be or will rarely be visible to anyone else. It's a very flexible thing - yes, you can get a huge one all over your torso or arm (if you have way too much money to spend) but you can also get a tiny one on your back or side that no one will see.
@Prettyful I am aware of the context of the passage I still feel it applies to what I said in the first part of my last comment and I also don't think your should expose those two parts of your body to a stranger so that, that person can inject ink into you, also it is not worth the health risks, and as it says in 1 Timothy we are to dress plainly not just when people can see us, I find tattooing to be an extravagant way to adorn oneself even if the tattoo is small. But in any case we shall agree to disagree sister. God bless.
what about someone who is reborn and already have tattoos? Like myself, I have been drawn to the Lord and to live and dress modestly but I already have tattoos. God Bless!
@Misty Sutton God bless you too dear sister praise the Lord you have found Him! I believe the Lord forgives all things, and I don't believe this is a "sin" issue, rather a modesty one (if you want to) you could try and cover them up with the clothing you wear, depending on were they are this is usually not that hard, otherwise just leave them be and focus on dressing modestly and trying to please the Lord in all things and know that your tattoos are not a hindrance to this. God bless!
I am a Christian who has recently begun wearing a headcovering at all times and wearing modest clothing; skirts/dresses exclusively. I have tattoos and don't show or hide them. They are a part of me and the Lord is abundant in His grace. I have recently come across your blog and am being blessed each time I check in. Thank you!
@Christine I am so so glad my blog has blessed you in this way. God bless you sister!
"We are Christians our body's are not our own, we have no right to mark up the temple of the Holy Ghost."
Well, mostly all churches, temples of the Holy Spirit, are adorned with paintings, statues,finely chiseled pillars and stuff like that.
Have you ever been to Europe and seen a baroque church, such as the Asamkirche in Munich?
Paintings,tracery, stained glass and other works of fine art adorn these churches, marble and gold plating where ever you look!
Shall I not adorn my temple with some fine, decent and unobtrusive pieces of decorative art?
As far as Leviticus 19,28 is concerned. It is poor scholarship to take citations out of the context. Read the verses before! You are not allowed to trim your beard or cut off your sidecurls. So a visit at your hairdresser's is as ritually taboo as an appointment with your Tattoo artist.
Further, taking the old testament literally, you are not allowed to eat pork, shellfish or shrimps and you need to be circumcised, which is far more of a mutilating body modification, than a needle prick in a piercing parlor is.
By the way: Leviticus in Hebrew civil law, not moral law.
Michael
(two tattoos, no piercings)
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