The problem for most people is understanding what sin actually is. Tragically, there is so much misunderstanding of what is sin and what is not sin, that people miss the mark all the time. For instance, to use an analogy, if the bulls-eye is not clearly defined on a dart board, no body knows whether the dart is in the designated area or outside of it. Likewise, the situation is much the same when it comes to sin.
Sin is the violation of any of the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments have to do with our relationship with God and our relationships with one another. If we love God with all our heart, and with all our mind, and with all our soul and with all our body, we will not sin. The second commandment is similar and refers to loving our neighbors as we would have them love us. Although, Jesus did say that the first commandment required us to, firstly, listen, and then, secondly, recognize that the Lord our God is one God.
- And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31)
The Ten Commandments are accounted for in what Jesus has stated in the Gospel of Mark. Now, if we are love God with our body, does it make sense that we would violate the commandment of God, by purposely desecrating it—to do so is sin.
Now there is a distinction that is made between what God actually wrote and what Moses wrote. God wrote what we find in (Exodus 20:1-17). Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Moses wrote the rest of the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) . This is why we read that Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets, but Heaven and Earth would pass away before the LAW (i.e. the Ten Commandments) would cease to exist (Matthew 5:17-18). This is because the Royal Law of relationship (James 2:8) is eternal.
When we look at the prohibition given by Moses, inspired by the Holy Spirit, not to put tattoos on one’s body, we also note that further prohibitions are made:
- eating flesh with blood is not to be eaten,
- witchcraft or attempting to predict the future is forbidden,
- cutting hair and beards in particular ways are prohibited,
- cutting the flesh to scar it in honor of the dead is anathema.
- You shall not eat any flesh with the blood in it. You shall not practice augury or witchcraft. You shall not round off the hair on you temples or mar the edges of your beard. You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh on account of the dead or tattoo any marks upon you: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:26-28)
There are a number of expansions made of various commandments that have been grouped together in chapter nineteen of Leviticus, which finish with “I am the Lord” before the next group of injunctions begins. In this particular case, it appears that this relates to the Second Commandment of the Decalogue, which was written by God Himself (Exodus 20:1-17).
- You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me. (Exodus 20:4-6)
The ancient people often tattooed and scarred their bodies in honor of the dead, as is evident among many tribal groups today, documented in the two volume work by Margo DeMello: Inked: Tattoos and Body Art around the World. [1]
Why would a scar or a tattoo qualify as a graven image? Answer: because it does not impart eternal life and, therefore, is unnecessary. Yet people attribute significance to these markings rather than, in humility, acknowledge the Creator as our only source of life and eternal significance.
Much has to do with the reasons why people seek tattoos and why they feel the need to purposely mar, and scar, their bodies, rather than love the Lord God.
Unintentional scarring from accidents cannot be helped. Likewise, when people are tattooed like cattle to distinguish them from their oppressors, this is not a voluntary act of bodily disfigurement.
When people remove birthmarks and other lesions from their body, some people could argue that this a rejection of the body that God has given. What these individuals would not be allowing for is the sin that has caused our bodies beautiful to be less than perfect in some way. Therefore, we may argue that body enhancement is not a disregard of loving God with our body, but an honoring of our Creator. The difficulty is in appreciating what is beautiful. For some having rings around the neck epitomizes beauty, irrespective of what the head might look like.
Among other cultures, beauty is more about lip extension plates. What may appear unsightly, grotesque, and hideous to those infatuated with rings, becomes a turn on for those inspired by the outright ugly
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What is ugly and unsightly for one person, might be considered really inviting to another.
However, the principle in the Bible seems to be that if we can improve our lot in this life, we ought to do so. Whether body art is glorifying God may be a matter of opinion and not necessarily a sin. If the person believes that body art is an expression of faith, then what is done out of faith is not sin, as the Apostle Paul taught that “whatever does not proceed from faith is sin”(Romans 14:23).
However, if what one does is intended to be an act of rebellion or to insult our Creator, then this does not proceed from faith towards God. The Bible is clear that repentance from dead works and faith towards God is what leads to eternal salvation (Hebrews 6:1).
While tattoos may appear to be an act of defiance that dishonors God, much has to do with the reason for the tattooing. However, what many people are not aware of today is that they are being subliminally manipulated to obtain tattoos and become addicted to them, so that when it comes to being clipped in the ear like cattle, or chipped in the purlicue between the thumb and the index finger, this will not seem such an invasion of foreign objects into their body. Everyone is getting tattoos, so what is wrong with everyone being chipped?
- Woe to those who take the mark of the beast on their foreheads and on their hands. If any one worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also shall drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and he shall be tormented with fire and sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. (Revelation 14:9-10)
Whether getting tattoos is seen as a necessary adornment, you might be wise to consider what the Apostle Peter had to say about externally decorating the outer person.
- Let not yours be the outward adorning with braiding of hair, decoration of gold, and wearing of fine clothing, but let it be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. (1 Peter 3:3-4)
Explicitly, getting a tattoo may not be a sin, if done as an expression of faith towards God, but when we consider that the Bible teaches that external adornments are unnecessary, and tattoos are a precursor to receiving the mark of the beast, it may be wiser to resist the temptation and have a heart that is set upon seeking the counsel of the Lord God and bearing fruit that is evidence of possessing eternal life.
Footnotes
