The Bible says in 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..” This passage clearly tells us that God does not want us to be marking up our bodies with different kinds of graphics or tattoos. (Some would argue that this was just an old testament law that no longer applies, but we must remember that there are many important principles that we find only in the book of Leviticus that certainly still apply, such as laws against bestiality and the selling of a child for prostitution) One major principle here is that God desires for His people to be different than the rest of the world, both on the inside and out.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” The Lord designed our body to be a temple and a dwelling place for His Spirit. In the same way that Solomon’s temple was free from graffiti, we should not defile our body since it is also God’s holy temple. If Paul instructs us to glorify God in our bodies, then their certainly must be a way to dishonor God with our body, so to say that we can do whatever we want them is not Biblical.

Throughout history and in the Bible, tattoos have been related to pagan practices and immoral living. As Christians, we are to be set apart as holy vessels for God (1 Peter 1:14-19) and to turn away from things that link us to this world which is passing away. Remember 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” Can you prove having a tattoo is “Good”? Also remember 1 Thessalonians 5:22 tells us to “Abstain from all appearances of evil.” We’re not supposed to be like the rest of the pagan world and live the way everyone else does: “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saieth the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you,” (1 Corinthians 6:17) “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” (Colossians 3:17) All of our actions are to represent Jesus Christ and I really cannot picture the Savior with snakes or butterflies tattooed across His forearms.

What if someone has made the mistake of getting a tattoo? Have they gone too far? Absolutely not: 1 John 1:9 assures us that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This does not mean we should go get a tattoo just because we can get forgiveness later. The key principle here seems to be that our bodies belong to God, not ourselves, and that we are to use them in ways that honor and reflect God’s glory.

Now let’s use deduction to arrive at a conclusion. Based upon these facts (the Old Testament commands against tattoos and piercings AND the New Testament principle that my body is not my own) I would reason that God would rather you leave your body free from self-inflicted marks and cuts. Our bodies are a good gift from God – complete as is. As one Jewish rabbi put it, “No matter how well considered, a tattoo is the result of a short-term decision to decorate the body forever. What hubris to imagine that any of us, as individuals, can improve artistically on the original design of the Lord.” We were made in “the image of God.” Apparently He thinks no further pictorial adornment is needed.