Tattoo or not, that is the question!

In the bible there are many references as to how we should treat our bodies, in the Old Testament we see in Leviticus 19:28 “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.” We also see in Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.” We also see in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

So, if the Bible clearly tells us not to tattoo or disfigure our bodies, that they are to be as living sacrifices and holy temples to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and to honor God with our bodies, why then do believers get tattoos and body piercings? If the Bible tells us our bodies are not our own, we were bought with a price, why do believers need body graffiti?

Is it that, they were tattooed or pierced prior to being saved and becoming a believer in Christ? If so, once saved and a believer, do they or should they, continue to add more and why? Nonbelievers have many reasons for their tattoos and piercing. My son has the seven deadly sins tattooed in different places on his body, so he can break them all; three of my four daughters have tattoos in memory of favorite pets and have strange piercings in their ears. The two youngest have also gotten their bellybuttons pierced. My niece, who has lived with us since she was a toddler, has tats all over her body. My two younger brothers both had tats, but I never got into that kind of stuff myself. The only thing I ever did was get my ears pierced.

So why do believers get tattoos or piecing after being saved? Or is it just a matter of one's own interpretation of the scriptures, and that this present body is only temporal and therefore its outward appearance is unimportant in God's overall plan for us. So they change their outward appearance just as they would clothing or hair, in an effort to feel comfortable and secure for the brief time they are on this earth, with the contention, that it's the mind and heart wherein the Spirit dwells, not the physical body. Therefore we are free to change our physical appearance, as long as the heart and mind remain focused on Christ.

This idea is brought up in Galatians 6:12-16 “Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh. May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor un-circumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God.”

So it all boils down to this; that I have unknowingly, stumbled onto the core of the problem during my rant, the main and foremost problem being my fascination with legalism. Something I was unaware of until one Sunday, when it was discussed in our adult Sunday school class. I had never even heard the words legalism or legalists used in reference to Christians or anything else for that matter. So somehow in my musings the Lord has answered my question, tattoos and piercings are of little importance. Philip Yancey writes "Jesus proclaimed unmistakably that God's law is so perfect and absolute that no one can achieve righteousness. Yet God's grace is so great that we do not have to. By striving to prove how much they deserve God's love, legalists miss the whole point of the gospel, that it's a gift from God to people who don't deserve it. The solution to sin is not to impose an ever-stricter code of behavior, it is to know God." Philip Yancey covers this in his book titled "What's so Amazing about Grace?"

So in the long run, there is but one way to God, through Jesus Christ and only through Him. There are many ways to Christ and he does not turn away any who seek Him. Once one has come to Him and entered into a personal relationship with God through Christ, the way will be made clear through reading and studying the Word of God or the Bible. So the outward appearance of a person matters little, if the heart is filled with the Spirit of Christ and it is manifested in one's behavior. 

When one is a legalist, one says there are certain requirements to worship God, and only the people who dress a certain way or follow certain rituals can gain access to God. But the problem with legalism is that it excludes the ones that need saving the most! Christ came to save and offer grace to all the undeserving! There are none that are truly deserving of all God has to offer. We are all sinners. Christ's message and death were for everyone, no strings attached! God's love and infinite grace are free for everyone! All one has to do, is to believe in Christ and accept it as fact.

So if in the end, we will have a heavenly body, then I guess it doesn't really matter what we do to our earthly bodies, within reason, some tattoos are graphic in nature and should be covered up at the very least. Sometimes alterations are for the better, such as the repairing of disfiguring features like a hare-lip or cleft palate and so many others. Other times, they are just to make us feel better about ourselves, such as face lifts or implants (there are so many kinds these days). Putting a million holes in and drawing pictures on our skin, seems like a petty thing to worry about, although I can't help but think that God wants more from us. If our earthly bodies are temples of God, shouldn't we take care of the outside as well?

So whether they are the remnants of a reckless youth or a midlife crisis, those bazaar etchings of flesh, meaningful or mindless, will be no more, when by the grace of God, we are given our heavenly bodies. They will fade along with scars, misshapen or missing parts and the ravages of diseases, as we are made whole again in body and mind. This is the hope to which we cling, as we find our way in this world.