The Practice of Tattooing

The subject of tattooing came up at youth group last night and I was asked what I thought. Well, I thought that it would make a good subject for a blog, so here goes:

Lev 19:27-28: “You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard. You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the LORD.”

Adam Clarke's Commentary:

It was a very ancient and a very general custom to carry marks on the body in honour of the object of their worship. All the castes of the Hindus bear on their foreheads or elsewhere what are called the sectarian marks, which distinguish them, not only in a civil but also in a religious point of view, from each other.

Most of the barbarous nations lately discovered have their faces, arms, breasts, etc., curiously carved or tatooed, probably for superstitious purposes. Ancient writers abound with accounts of marks made on the face, arms, etc., in honour of different idols; and to this the inspired penman alludes, Rev 13:16-17; 14:9,11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4, where false worshippers are represented as receiving in their hands and in their forehead the marks of the beast. These were called stigmata among the Greeks, and to these Paul refers when he says, I bear about in my body the MARKS (stigmata) of the Lord Jesus; Gal 6:17. I have seen several cases where persons have got the figure of the cross, the virgin Mary, etc., made on their arms, breasts, etc., the skin being first punctured, and then a blue colouring matter rubbed in, which is never afterward effaced. All these were done for superstitious purposes, and to such things probably the prohibition in this verse refers. Calmet, on this verse, gives several examples.

Barnes' Notes:

Tattooing was probably practiced in ancient Egypt, as it is now by the lower classes of the modern Egyptians, and was connected with superstitious notions. Any voluntary disfigurement of the person was in itself an outrage upon God's workmanship, and might well form the subject of a law.

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary:

…by tatooing; imprinting figures of flowers, leaves, stars, and other fanciful devices on various parts of their person. The impression was made sometimes by means of a hot iron, sometimes by ink or paint, as is done by the Arab females of the present day, and the different castes of the Hindus. It is probable, from the association of Lev 19:29, that a strong propensity to adopt such marks in honour of some idol gave occasion to the prohibition in this verse; and they were wisely forbidden, for they were signs of apostasy, and, when once made, were insuperable obstacles to a return. (See allusions to the practice, Isa 44:5; Rev 13:17; 14:1.)

Keil and Delitzsch Commentary:

It cannot be inferred from the words of Plutarch, quoted by Spencer, that the heathen associated with this custom the idea of making an expiation to the dead. The prohibition of writing corroded or branded, i.e., of tattooing-a custom not only very common among the savage tribes, but still met with in Arabia and in Egypt among both men and women of the lower orders - had no reference to idolatrous usages, but was intended to inculcate upon the Israelites a proper reverence for God's creation.

David Guizk Commentary:

To shave around the sides of your head or to disfigure the edges of your beard was to imitate pagan customs of that day; today, Jewish orthodox men are conspicuous by their untrimmed beards and long, curly locks on the sides of their heads. Cuttings in the flesh for the dead and tattoos were also pagan practices God wanted Israel to separate from. The trimming of the hair, the beard, cutting, and tattoos were all connected with pagan rites of mourning.

Part of this message to us today is that what our culture thinks and how they perceive things is important. If some clothing or jewelry or body decoration would associate us with the pagan world, it should not be done. This is a difficult line to draw, because the standards of culture are always changing. Some modern examples of changing standards are hair length and earrings for men. In Paul’s day, in the city of Corinth, only prostitutes went around without a head covering - so it was right for the Christian women of Corinth to wear veils, though not required to by the letter of the law (1 Corinthians 11:5-6).

Thoughts by Randall Slack:

There is no prohibition against tattooing in the NT – no mention if the practice whatsoever. Usually it is associated with Leviticus 19:27-28. However, we must remember that the Law was never given o Gentiles; rather it was given to the Jews to mark them distinct from the other nations.

The passage of Scripture usually associated with tattooing is I Corinthians 3:16-17: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”

Now if we are going to use this as a object text for tattooing, then we cannot limit it to tattooing alone. If indeed the body is the temple of God (and it is), then we must be concerned with all things that possibly defile that temple, such as (but not limited to):

Oral Hygiene (caring for your teeth)

Personal Hygiene (caring for you body)

Personal Indulgence (obesity, smoking, drinking, lack of exercise, elicit sexual behavior exposing one’s self to STD’s, etc.)

Sexuality (elicit through the avenue of the media, i.e., television, movies, magazines, advertising, internet, etc.)

This is just a short list of possibilities suggested by this interpretation of I Corinthians 3:16-17. However, the context suggests building our lives with the correct materials. Warren Wiersbe writes: “It is a serious thing to be a part of the building of God's temple. First Corinthians 3:16-17 warn us that, if we destroy (‘defile’) God's temple by using cheap materials, God will destroy us! This does not mean eternal condemnation, of course, because 1 Cor 3:15 assures us that each worker will be saved, even if he loses a reward. I think Paul is saying that each of us builds into the church what we build into our own lives.”

In this passage there is no mention of the physical man or his appearance, but rather of the spiritual man and how he is being built up in the Lord. I have found that those who are offended at tattoos or pierced ears on men, usually compromise in some other area of their lives (anyone of the above listed). And usually they are forcing their dislikes off on others as a legalistic standard, thus adding works to faith – clearly violating the orthodox teaching of salvation by faith alone (Sola fide) through grace alone (Sola gratia).

Now does this mean that we are free to do as we please with our bodies? No it does not, as Paul writes: “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.”(I Corinthians 6:20). Since we are not our own we should seek to glorify God with our bodies, i.e., with our lives we live for Him. It is interesting that those who promote Christian tattooing use this passage of scripture to justify the practice.

When I first got saved, the big Scripture used against us was I Corinthians 11:14: “Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?” The KJV reads, “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?” Notice that it is a shame, not a sin. Nowadays I look in the mirror and say, “What a shame.”

For me, I would not get a tattoo or earrings; that’s just not me. However, I will never refuse to proclaim the Gospel to one who has a tattoo or earrings or is overweight, or has bad teeth or doesn’t bathe regularly, of has long hair or no hair or…you get my point.

What a pity that the Devil often gets Christian’s so busy fighting over non-essential issues to the point where we forget about reaching others for Christ. Then he has won and Christ has lost.