Usually only Christians really care what God says on any given topic (or at least we should). Culture screams loudly to justify just about anything.
So what DOES GOD actually say?
Well, no matter what people’s opinions are, or what ever-changing culture says is the new “norm”, the only thing God says on this topic is:
“You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor TATTOO any marks on you: I am the Lord.” – Leviticus 19:28
(What many overlook is that the placement of the comma denotes two complete and separate thoughts, or in this case, commands.)
Let’s look this stuff up.
According to the Strongs Concordance, the word translated (or transliterated) as “tattoo” means to print an incision, gash, or mark on you.
Oxford and Webster Dictionaries define the words used above as follows:
Incision: a surgical cut or notch in the skin.
Gash: a long deep slash, cut, or wound.
Mark: a small area on the surface having a different color from its surroundings, typically one caused by accident or damage.
Tattoo: a mark, figure, design, or word intentionally fixed or placed to appear on the surface of the skin by insertion of pigments into the dermis layer of the skin by means of needle punctures.
Puncture: a wound [in the skin] made by a sharp object.
OK. So although it may be an unpopular understanding, by all definitions, a tattoo is a colored intentional wound to the skin.
What about Jesus?
Jesus said in Matthew 16:24 (and throughout the Gospels) to deny the desires with which we are tempted, and follow Him.
“Follow” Him. According to Strongs, “follow” means to be in the same way with.
Now we have to ask ourselves: did God (in the Old Testament) and Jesus (in the New Testament) have tattoos, or command His followers intentionally put marks on themselves, for any reason at all?
There is no scriptural evidence of that.
The only scriptural mention in regard to this instructs: “you shall not…: I am the Lord.”
Consider:
Since Jesus is our example, and Jesus had no tattoos, should we do what He had said “you shall not”?
Love…
Look, God loves every single one of us.
Yet love does not mean we have permission to do whatever our impulse is, whatever we crave or whatever culture says is fine (and we all know culture is more and more every day rarely in agreement with God).
If we already have tattoos? He loves us.
If we got tattoos as a Christian, thinking they were fine because we didn’t stop to consider Christ’s example and maybe didn’t know about God’s directive? He loves us.
If we go on to get tattoos after we know His only command is “you shall not”? He still loves us but…I caution for all of us to be careful and not test God.
James said it most simply: “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”
It doesn’t matter how we color it, or what culture tells us. If we choose Christ as our Lord, that means we follow Him, put “shall not” desires and choices away from us, and act as HIS new creations.