Tattoos and the belief thereof
In a recent question posed to a wide audience of Facebook friends of their thoughts on tattoos, I received a wide selection of answers. Most based on a moral belief from the Bible. In trying to understand each perspective, I did a bit of digging. Here is what I found. Now please keep in mind that this writing is from a perspective of wanting a tattoo, but wondering if my moral belief would or could be in agreement.
There has been a long debate in our culture about tattoos. A debate based on a mindset that is grounded on morals. Our nation was founded on these morals and on this character. Lives have been changed because of this book and its life breathing nature.
The Bible verse that is so often used to support the negative view of tattoos is Leviticus 19:28 (KJV) which states, "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I [am] the LORD." This verse implies that the cuttings and tattoos that the Lord bans are ones made in honor of the dead. But a further look will disagree with that point. If studied in the Strong's concordance here is what you will find.
"Ye shall not make (to give, put or set, be inflicted) any (impression, inscription, mark, writing) cuttings (incision, cut) in your flesh (flesh, of humans, of animals) for the dead (soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion, living being, breathing substance or being, living being with life in the blood, seat of the appetites, seat of emotions and passions, activity of mind, activity of the will, activity of the character) nor print (to give, put or set, be inflicted) any marks (incision, imprint, tattoo, mark, a mark branded on the skin) upon you: I [am] the LORD (Jehovah - the existing One, the proper name of the one true God.)."
What I gather this verse is saying, do not make any cuttings in your flesh for yourself, your own cravings and desires, on behalf of an emotion or an appetite.
In history tattoos have been used by pagan religions as rites of passage, marks of status and ranks, religious and spiritual devotion, sexual lures, marks of fertility, pledges of love, punishment, protection and it marks outcasts, slaves and convicts. After the Levitical law was put into place, Jews didn't not participate in their pagan counterpart custom of tattooing as the LORD specifically instructed that He didn't approve.
As we go through Leviticus chapter nineteen and read everything the LORD put in to play, we find some of the nature of the LORD. He says to Moses in verse one. "Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy."
Verse eleven though nineteen and verse twenty-three through thirty-seven.
"Do not steal.
"Do not bring shame on the name of your God by using it to swear falsely.
I am the LORD.
"Do not defraud or rob your neighbor.
"Do not make your hired workers wait til the next day to receive their pay.
"Do not insult the deaf or cause the blind to stumble. You must fear
your God; I am the LORD.
"Do not twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial
to the rich and powerful. Always judge people fairly.
"Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people.
"Do not stand idly by when your neighbors life is threatened. I am the LORD.
"Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives.
"Confront people directly so you will not be held guilty for their sin.
"Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but
love your neighbor as your self. I am the LORD.
"You must obey all my decrees.
"Do not mate two different kinds of animals.
"Do not plant your field with two different kinds of seed.
"Do not wear clothing woven from two different kinds of thread.
"Do not eat meat that has not been drained of its blood.
"Do not practice fortune telling or witch-craft.
"Do not trim your hair on your temples or trim your beards.
"Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos.
I am the LORD.
"Do not defile your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will
be filled with prostitution and wickedness.
"Keep my Sabbath days of rest, and show reverence toward my sanctuary.
I am the LORD.
"Do not defile yourselves by turning to mediums or to those who consult
the spirits of the dead. I am the LORD your God.
"Stand up in the presence of the elderly, and show respect for the aged. Fear
your God. I am the LORD.
"Do not take advantage of foreigners who live among you in your land.
Treat them like native-born Israelites, and love them as you
love yourself. Remember that you were once foreigners living in the
land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
"Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight, or volume.
Your scales and weights must be accurate. Your containers for measuring drying materials or liquids must be accurate. I am the
LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
"You must be careful to keep all my decrees and regulations by putting
them into practice. I am the LORD."
This was not designed to manipulate God to gain His favor or to appease Him. That the pagan mindset toward their gods. Rather this was to prepare and purify themselves so, they, the Israelites, could approach their holy God.
These are the principals that our nation was founded on. These are the principals that have established the moral code as we have known it for the last two hundred years. These are the principals that set Jews and later Christians apart from the pagans and the rest of the world.
When Jesus came He brought grace and freedom but not apart from the Law. He said in Matthew five verse seventeen through twenty, "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches other to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
Just as parents establish rules for their children to protect them, so the LORD has established a law to protect us. Are we able to fulfill that Law entirely? No way! That is where grace comes into play. Before Jesus, grace was not extended to everyone. The cross gave a relationship with the Father that was unattainable by most before the shedding of Jesus blood as the perfect sacrifice. Through that relationship grace is extended to ease the consequences of inability to fulfill the Law in its entirety.
The question has to be what is our heart motive in all of this. Because honestly for me the choice of getting a tattoo was all for vanities sake, clothed in a noble thought, ultimately self-indulgent. And if I'm really honest with myself and expose the part of my heart that I'd rather keep hidden, the reason behind getting a tattoo would be in rebellion against my earthly dad. First Peter one verse fourteen through fifteen says, "So you must live as God's obedient children. Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy."
I do believe that as Christians we are to live at a higher standard than that of the rest of this world. Jesus has called us to a full life of relationship with the Father and in order to be holy as He is holy, we must allow everything of this world to be purified in His love. If we want to look like the bride Jesus is coming back for, then we need to not have any entanglements of this world keeping us dirty. This view does not support or condemn the art of tattoos.
Where that leaves tattoos and the rest of Leviticus, for me, is that I need to live a holy life, doing whatever pleases the Father. If He wants me to reach a particular culture, I don't think for me that I have to have tattoos to speak into their lives. Being relational and full of Jesus love is sufficient. On the vanity note, getting one because I like them is a personal issue I have to take before the LORD and let Him examine my heart. If for some reason it might make my brother stumble or there is something that needs to be dealt with in my heart then I see a purification process coming my way.
*All scriptures, unless otherwise noted, are from the New Living Translation.
Please add your thoughts to what is written here. By no way is this inconclusive.
There has been a long debate in our culture about tattoos. A debate based on a mindset that is grounded on morals. Our nation was founded on these morals and on this character. Lives have been changed because of this book and its life breathing nature.
The Bible verse that is so often used to support the negative view of tattoos is Leviticus 19:28 (KJV) which states, "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I [am] the LORD." This verse implies that the cuttings and tattoos that the Lord bans are ones made in honor of the dead. But a further look will disagree with that point. If studied in the Strong's concordance here is what you will find.
"Ye shall not make (to give, put or set, be inflicted) any (impression, inscription, mark, writing) cuttings (incision, cut) in your flesh (flesh, of humans, of animals) for the dead (soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion, living being, breathing substance or being, living being with life in the blood, seat of the appetites, seat of emotions and passions, activity of mind, activity of the will, activity of the character) nor print (to give, put or set, be inflicted) any marks (incision, imprint, tattoo, mark, a mark branded on the skin) upon you: I [am] the LORD (Jehovah - the existing One, the proper name of the one true God.)."
What I gather this verse is saying, do not make any cuttings in your flesh for yourself, your own cravings and desires, on behalf of an emotion or an appetite.
In history tattoos have been used by pagan religions as rites of passage, marks of status and ranks, religious and spiritual devotion, sexual lures, marks of fertility, pledges of love, punishment, protection and it marks outcasts, slaves and convicts. After the Levitical law was put into place, Jews didn't not participate in their pagan counterpart custom of tattooing as the LORD specifically instructed that He didn't approve.
As we go through Leviticus chapter nineteen and read everything the LORD put in to play, we find some of the nature of the LORD. He says to Moses in verse one. "Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy."
Verse eleven though nineteen and verse twenty-three through thirty-seven.
"Do not steal.
"Do not bring shame on the name of your God by using it to swear falsely.
I am the LORD.
"Do not defraud or rob your neighbor.
"Do not make your hired workers wait til the next day to receive their pay.
"Do not insult the deaf or cause the blind to stumble. You must fear
your God; I am the LORD.
"Do not twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial
to the rich and powerful. Always judge people fairly.
"Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people.
"Do not stand idly by when your neighbors life is threatened. I am the LORD.
"Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives.
"Confront people directly so you will not be held guilty for their sin.
"Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but
love your neighbor as your self. I am the LORD.
"You must obey all my decrees.
"Do not mate two different kinds of animals.
"Do not plant your field with two different kinds of seed.
"Do not wear clothing woven from two different kinds of thread.
"Do not eat meat that has not been drained of its blood.
"Do not practice fortune telling or witch-craft.
"Do not trim your hair on your temples or trim your beards.
"Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos.
I am the LORD.
"Do not defile your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will
be filled with prostitution and wickedness.
"Keep my Sabbath days of rest, and show reverence toward my sanctuary.
I am the LORD.
"Do not defile yourselves by turning to mediums or to those who consult
the spirits of the dead. I am the LORD your God.
"Stand up in the presence of the elderly, and show respect for the aged. Fear
your God. I am the LORD.
"Do not take advantage of foreigners who live among you in your land.
Treat them like native-born Israelites, and love them as you
love yourself. Remember that you were once foreigners living in the
land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
"Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight, or volume.
Your scales and weights must be accurate. Your containers for measuring drying materials or liquids must be accurate. I am the
LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
"You must be careful to keep all my decrees and regulations by putting
them into practice. I am the LORD."
This was not designed to manipulate God to gain His favor or to appease Him. That the pagan mindset toward their gods. Rather this was to prepare and purify themselves so, they, the Israelites, could approach their holy God.
These are the principals that our nation was founded on. These are the principals that have established the moral code as we have known it for the last two hundred years. These are the principals that set Jews and later Christians apart from the pagans and the rest of the world.
When Jesus came He brought grace and freedom but not apart from the Law. He said in Matthew five verse seventeen through twenty, "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches other to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
Just as parents establish rules for their children to protect them, so the LORD has established a law to protect us. Are we able to fulfill that Law entirely? No way! That is where grace comes into play. Before Jesus, grace was not extended to everyone. The cross gave a relationship with the Father that was unattainable by most before the shedding of Jesus blood as the perfect sacrifice. Through that relationship grace is extended to ease the consequences of inability to fulfill the Law in its entirety.
The question has to be what is our heart motive in all of this. Because honestly for me the choice of getting a tattoo was all for vanities sake, clothed in a noble thought, ultimately self-indulgent. And if I'm really honest with myself and expose the part of my heart that I'd rather keep hidden, the reason behind getting a tattoo would be in rebellion against my earthly dad. First Peter one verse fourteen through fifteen says, "So you must live as God's obedient children. Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy."
I do believe that as Christians we are to live at a higher standard than that of the rest of this world. Jesus has called us to a full life of relationship with the Father and in order to be holy as He is holy, we must allow everything of this world to be purified in His love. If we want to look like the bride Jesus is coming back for, then we need to not have any entanglements of this world keeping us dirty. This view does not support or condemn the art of tattoos.
Where that leaves tattoos and the rest of Leviticus, for me, is that I need to live a holy life, doing whatever pleases the Father. If He wants me to reach a particular culture, I don't think for me that I have to have tattoos to speak into their lives. Being relational and full of Jesus love is sufficient. On the vanity note, getting one because I like them is a personal issue I have to take before the LORD and let Him examine my heart. If for some reason it might make my brother stumble or there is something that needs to be dealt with in my heart then I see a purification process coming my way.
*All scriptures, unless otherwise noted, are from the New Living Translation.
Please add your thoughts to what is written here. By no way is this inconclusive.
posted by Joy | 5:17 PM
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