As for me I will refrain from all that. I have never been marked(tattooed), or pierced for that matter, I believe that once you come to Christ and repent of your sins...markings and all you are given a clean slate. As the woman who was caught in the act of adultery, Jesus told her go and sin no more. Now that we found Jesus and made Him lord of our lives why then must we mark ourselves. Are we commemorating the event, I hope not, that's what baptism is for. We are already marked with the seal of redemption and the blood of Christ. A tattoo after receiving Jesus Christ as Lord is an out right disrespect to what was done at calvary, not to mention a discredit to one's testimony.
May God bless you all who read this, don't be ashamed of those markings you have, since most have attained them before coming to Christ, but you should think and ask the Holy Spirit to lift the veil and show you the truth, because the truth shall set you free. As a brother in Christ I love you all. Please consider and obey the will and word of God.
In Leviticus it says that tattoos are a sin. Leviticus 19:28 (Amplified Bible) 28You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor print or tattoo any marks upon you; I am the Lord. In addition in first Corinthians it says that our bodies are the temple of God. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own, 20You were bought with a price [purchased with a [b]preciousness and paid for, [c]made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body. Think of it this way you would not go into a church and tattoo the walls would you, in the same way we should not tattoo our bodies. When Jesus came he removed a lot of the laws like mixed wool and linen but he did not remove God's principals like living Holy lives and keeping the temple of God Holy.
Flat out, I see people are reading some kind of different WORD OF GOD(WHICH MEANS FROM THE LIPS OF THE ALMIGHTY) these days so lets divide truth: Where does it say that God changed His mind on these things? Where does it say that according to your own understanding you can live by God's Word and conform it to your own lifestyle? You who are pretty much rebelling whether you care to admit or not are taking this Word for granted and playing God! Yes although you have tats you can still repent and it is done, but the fact that someone who is "born-again" and still gets a tatoo after praying about it is ridiculous! Thats like saying I prayed to the Holy Spirit about marrying this woman even tho I am married and I am getting a divorce soon! God doesn't change, bend, or break and if people think you are "too saintly" then let them, or risk being destroyed physically and spiritually by the only person you should be concerned with whom looks at you. Shalom.
Ok, in my opinion the people trying to argue what the scripture says are just justifying their actions so they don't have to feel convicted. All of you saying "my body" are wrong already. If you are a Christian then it is not your body it is the temple of God. To the person who answered about the individuals marked in the Holocaust, those people did not choose to take that mark but were forced by the dictators. So, therefore how can you be held accountable for something you did not choose to partake in. They were being persecuted! I believe you will be punished for the sin if you knowingly and willingly sin when you know you are doing wrong...
WAIT.... So it's a sin that people during the Holocaust were forced to become etched with tattoos in order for the guards to keep track of their "prisoners"? I know you didn't write the bible and I understand that but how does that work to be a sin on them by force? We all must also keep in mind that we can simply ask God or whomever you plea to as your God to wash away and that we repent of our sins and then it will be done. Including tats. That's what I believe in. My 2 cents. This would make a good debate.
If GOD wanted us to have tattoo's, wouldn't we have been born with them! Men had a thought for tattooing our bodies not GOD. In Timothy 2:9 it says 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. So if GOD is telling us to not even wear jewelry or clothes that grabs peoples attention by what we are wearing, why would he want you to get tattoos that everyone is going to gaze upon and give attention to. We should lead people to Christ by what is in our hearts (LOVE and FORGIVENESS from CHRIST JESUS).
My husband and I both make a living as artists, ceramics (him) and jewelry (me). I have three tattoos and pierced ears, nose and belly button. We recently got married, and my newest tattoo is his name in Sanscrit...he gets my name next week. I like body art, and all of my tattoos mean something to me. My first is a rose I found with a twisted stem that curves the same way as my messed up spine curves, on my spine between my shoulders right where all the pain always is on my back. God gave me a very painfull back, with three birth defects and curving I acknowledge that with a tattoo. The second one I got just after I spent a summer alone backpacking Europe, I needed to get away and be be myself. It changed me in a lot of ways and I saw it as a turning point, I cherished that time and I got a tattoo. For me it is a mapping of my life on my body, points in my life that I felt were important. To me, I am honoring my husband and making a promise to him by utting his name on my body in one of the most beautifully written languages.
The bible doesn't really say that tattooing is a sin but people refer to Leviticus 19:28 as a way to say that it is: "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord." (KJV) Now we must remember that these laws were made for the Israelites so that they wouldn't follow pagan religions. But there is hope for those who are religious and want a tattoo. Romans 14 talks about the differences in the Christian and the Jewish religions and how he still accepts ALL of them. No matter what they do. (Please keep in mind that the chapter is using the eating of "unclean meats" as an example.)
In Leviticus 19:28, it says you are not allowed to make cuttings in your flesh for the dead (I think this refers to a mourning ritual that some people practised at the time) or to print marks upon you. This could well refer to some kind of tattooing. However, in Leviticus is also a sin to wear mixed wool and linen, to put mixed seeds in your fields and many, many more. I wouldn't worry about it.
The scripture could be leviticus 19:28, but however that could be inturpetted differently. I myself don't believe it is a sin. I think it is a sin to tatto false idols upon yourself and unchristian like objects and things.
