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Today
I’m thinking
about Tattoos
.
One of the young
men from our prison
ministry asked us if
they were sinful
.
“Are Tattoos Sinful?”
Some people might try
to answer this question by
looking at the only verse in
the bible that mentions
tattoos specifically
;
You shall not make any cuts
on your body for the dead
or tattoo yourselves:
I am the Lord
.
Leviticus 19:28
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According to the Old Testament
commentaries I have, it was a common
practice to mourn the dead by hair
cutting, skin cutting and
tattoo marking
.
We
shouldn’t
have to mutilate
our bodies as a sign
of respect for the dead,
and I believe that God was
telling the people of Israel
to refrain from these
practices
.
I don’t think
there is any place in
the world that still expects
body mutilation to honor
the dead, so we can
safely leave that
idea behind
.
But that one verse
doesn’t seem adequate
for what we are seeing
in society today
.
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Other scriptures
point to the idea that
our bodies are a temple.
If The Holy Spirit abides in
us, maybe His dwelling place
shouldn’t be decorated with
symbols. When it comes to
decoration, how do we
determine what is
acceptable
???
Are cosmetics okay?
Fine clothes? Expensive Jewelry?
Earrings? Earrings just for women?
What about hairstyles? What about
painted fingernails? Where
do we draw the line
?
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Or,
maybe
the concern
is that since God
created our bodies in
a way that’s pleasing to
Him, our willingness to
alter it PERMANENTLY
could be the issue
.
So, some might say
that cosmetics are okay
but cosmetic surgery is not.
. Or that earrings are okay,
but not ear piercing
.
Will
history books
in the future tell about
how we punched holes in our
ears so we could hang ornaments
from them? Will they question why
we pierced small children, and
even babies, without
their consent
?
We could even ask
questions that seem silly
…
Should we shave our beards
or trim our nails if we are
already made in the
image of God
?
Looking at
the question from
this angle will be fruitless.
It can only lead to legalism
and division and endless
discussion of everything
from hair curlers to
branding irons
.
We’ll never get
a consensus that way,
and we’ll never settle the
question of where to
draw the line
.
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Let’s look
at it from the
other direction
…
Is Tattooing a SIN
?
To answer the question,
we have to know what Sin is
.
A simple way to think about it is
that sin is anything that separates
us from our relationship with God
.
If
our highest
goal in life is to
live in the light, to be
in communion with God,
to be attached to the vine,
anything we do to damage
that connection is sinful
.
A turning
away
.
But no one
can live in perfect
communion with God
.
Paul writes
,
…
for all have sinned
and come short
of the glory
of God
…
Romans 3:23
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With this in mind,
let’s think again about the
forms of body decoration
and modification that
we’ve already
mentioned
.
It
wouldn’t
be appropriate
to forego clothing
in this society, so
we must wear
something
.
We
choose a hairstyle
and various accessories
and possibly cosmetics,
but those aren’t sinful
in themselves
.
No
.
The sin manifests
itself in HOW and
WHY we use them
.
You
know in your heart
if your efforts to adjust your
appearance are rooted in selfish
motives, a desire for attention or
admiration, boosting your pride,
flattering your self-esteem,
feeding your ego, hoping
that your appearance
will elevate you
.
If you examine yourself
sincerely, you’ll know if you’re
abiding in the light, living in
communion with the Spirit,
or if your desires are
self-motivated
,
but
don’t be fooled
into thinking that
it’s the TATTOO
that’s sinful.
It’s
YOU
.
With this in mind,
I’ll risk making
a definitive
answer
;
No
.
Tattoos
are not
sinful
.
People
are
.
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A
final
caution
:
Part
of the pleasure
of displaying a tattoo is
experiencing the reactions
of the people who see it,
sharing their surprise
and enjoyment
.
One of the purposes of
Art is prompting the viewer
to either reinforce or re-evaluate
their view. But if the subject of your
tattoo is a symbol that’s shocking or
provocative, or a form of idolatry,
you should seriously question
the motive behind your
desire to display it
.
We should
never cause others
to stumble
.
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We
enjoy the gift
of free will, but once
a decision is made, it’s
not easy to take back.
Once it’s done, it’s
difficult to
undo
.
What are
you showing
the world
???
Be
thoughtful
.
Act
with purpose
.
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