It would probably surprise many people to discover that the Bible does indeed speak to the issue of tattoos. It makes an explicit reference to tattoos in Lev. 19:28; it also makes statements about the body that apply to tattoos.

“'You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the LORD.” (Lev. 19:28 -- NASB)

“Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.” (KJV)

I can hear the immediate objection. “That’s Leviticus! That’s the Old Testament! That doesn’t apply anymore! We’re in the New Testament! This is 2012, for crying out loud!”

Let’s first consider the reason why God gave this commandment to the Jews. Then, let’s consider the objection that it no longer has any modern application.

Why did God command the Jews not to tattoo themselves?

Some commentators connect the prohibition of tattoos with the preceding prohibition of making cuts in the flesh for the sake of the dead. Making cuts in the flesh was an idolatrous practice of the pagan nations and was intended to pay tribute to the gods and pacify them. Others commentators suggest that the prohibition on tattoos was a separate command, unrelated to funerals, but they nevertheless trace the practice to idolatry. In either case, tattoos were inextricably associated with idolatry. God never commanded the Israelites to mark up their flesh with ink for any reason whatsoever. The practice was invented by pagans as a tribute to their false gods. The Israelites were to be a holy, different and separate people. They were frequently warned about imitating the sinful practices of the nations.

"When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD; and because of these detestable things the LORD your God will drive them out before you.” (Deut. 18:9-12)

"These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully observe in the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess as long as you live on the earth. You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. You shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place. You shall not act like this toward the LORD your God.” (Deut. 12:1-4)

"When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?' You shall not behave thus toward the LORD your God, for every abominable act which the LORD hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.” (Deut. 12:29-31)

Was this law only for the Jews or does it have some modern application?

It is granted that modern tattooing seems to have little or nothing to do with funerals or explicit religious practices. However, it is doubtful that modern tattooing is a neutral activity and completely non-religious. Is any activity utterly neutral? Everyone has some reason for the things they do. Why are modern people getting tattoos? I would suggest they are getting them for any of a number of reasons that are basically religious and idolatrous in nature. For example: to be cool; to be like others, or, ironically, to be different from others; to pay tribute to someone or something or some cause; to get attention for themselves; etc. There could be other reasons as well, but nearly every reason is idolatrous in nature -- whether the idol is self, a girlfriend, a boyfriend, an idea of beauty, a cause, a philosophy, or whatever. People are permanently sacrificing the flesh God gave them and disfiguring it to honor or draw attention to something that obviously holds an excessive place of devotion in their hearts. This is idolatry. The idol does not have to be a traditional god of some ancient or modern religion. It can be any created thing. That being the case, it does little good to throw up the defense about God looking on the heart, not the outward appearance. Yes, God looks at the heart, and he sees the heart reasons why a person gets a tattoo. If that heart reason is sinful and idolatrous, God knows it and condemns both the motive and the outward action. The reason tattoos are growing in popularity is because we are becoming an increasingly pagan nation.

Israel was commanded not to imitate the nations. And the command against tattooing was part of that prohibition against imitating pagan practices. So, where did modern Americans get the idea of tattooing? One thing is for sure: no one got the idea by reading the Bible. The Bible nowhere commands it or encourages it, and as we have seen, it prohibits it in Lev. 19:28. So, people are getting the idea elsewhere. They are getting it from unbelievers in the world. They are likely getting it from famous athletes and movie stars, who are in turn getting it from some other wicked source. So the next question is this: Why would a Christian get a tattoo? What purpose does it serve? How does it honor God? If it is not commanded in scripture, how can we justify it as a God-honoring practice? Some few people might tattoo a scripture verse on their skin. How about hiding the word in your heart, instead?

On these considerations alone, tattoos are indefensible, whether one believes Lev. 19:28 is strictly ceremonial or civil law that is only applicable to the Jews.

But let us also consider the New Testament teaching that our body is the temple of the Lord.

“Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, "THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH." But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” (1 Cor. 6:15-20)

Clearly the first and primary application of this text is to prohibit sexual immorality. Nevertheless, the teaching that a Christian’s body is a member of Christ also applies to any doubtful thing we might do with our body. Shall we take the members of Christ and permanently ink them up? Especially considering the fact that we have no New Testament command to do so and the only example we find of it comes from a wicked and pagan culture? Paul tells us that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in us. Shall we mark up the temple of the Holy Spirit with graffiti? We are supposed to glorify God in our body. How is tattooing an example of glorifying God in our body?

Finally, let us consider a common sense objection to the practice of tattoos. What happens if the object of your devotion ceases to be an object of devotion? What happens if the girlfriend or boyfriend you are aiming to honor by your tattoo one day ceases to be your girlfriend or boyfriend? What happens if you change your mind one day about the big idea or cause you wish to commemorate by your tattoo? What happens if in a year or so the inked symbol of your “coolness” doesn’t seem so cool anymore? What happens when tattooing goes out of style? What happens when people quit commenting on your tattoo and remarking how neat it is? How will you feel about your tattoo when the skin beneath it wrinkles and sags? What happens when you no longer find it attractive? Have you considered how short-lived our popular fashions are? It is not as simple as getting rid of an outfit that has gone out of style. It’s hard to get rid of a tattoo. It hurts, it’s expensive and it makes your skin look like chewed bubblegum. Are you sure you want to do this?