Just the other day, I was having a conversation with one of our youth student leaders. This student had their mind set on getting a tattoo because they were pursuing a calling to be a worship pastor after high school and was convinced they needed to “look the part.” I look at mainstream worship pastors today and the majority of them have the grunge or hipster style. Guys have sleeves tattooed on their arms and their ears are gauged while ladies usually have their nose pierced and their undercut hair styles are colored with unnatural vibrant hues. The hipster trend has undoubtedly infiltrated our churches. But is it truly necessary to embrace the trends of this world in order to be a better worshipper or to be a better Christian for that matter?
Most Christians are familiar with Leviticus 19:28 and 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 in regards to getting tattoos.
“‘Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.”Leviticus 19:28 NIV
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV
I’ve heard both of these verses used in arguments for getting tattoos and against getting them. Some say Leviticus 19:28 is proof that we shouldn’t get tattoos at all and some say “In Loving Memory of…” and “R.I.P.” tattoos are forbidden but everything else is ok. Some say we honor God with our bodies by not altering it and some say we honor God by “branding” it. I have heard Christians with tattoos say their tattoos is their way of expressing themselves. I have also heard some go as far as to argue that their tattoos serve as an opportunity to share the Gospel. The reality is, when you strip away the reasons and excuses for why Christians have or get tattoos, at the heart of it all lies conformity. Conformity is defined as behavior in accordance with socially accepted conventions or standards. Romans 12:2 talks about conformity.
“Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2 NIV
The best example of conformity in the Bible that I can think of is the story of the Golden Calf found in Exodus 32. In Exodus 20:4-6, God instructed His people to not worship any other gods or idols; however, we find the Israelites conforming to Egyptian practices by forming a golden calf that represented Apis, one of the many deities that was worshipped in Egypt. In doing this, the Israelites relegated God almighty to an object molded by human hands and by conforming to pagan practices, they broke God’s commandment. The Israelites failed to realize that worldly practices could not be sanctified regardless of their intentions. In addition to idol worship, tattoos and the cutting of one’s self were practiced in Egypt as forms of pagan worship and expressions of bondage. God instructed His people to not practice these things at all. If we fast forward several thousand years to today, we find that tattoos are still a common practice around the world but the word tattoo is a euphemism for “body art.” Sadly we also find Christians embracing these worldly trends through conformity.
Before I go any further on this topic, I want to make it perfectly clear that I am not here to condemn anyone who has tattoos or is thinking about getting one. I personally do not have any tattoos nor have a desire to get one. I believe our bodies were designed to be the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit so getting a tattoo would be the equivalent of tagging the temple walls with graffiti; however, there is forgiveness regardless of our past mistakes. For those thinking about getting a tattoo, I simply want to provide an alternative that I believe will honor God more than mere labels made by men.
Let’s proceed!
I once heard a preacher tell a bizarre story. It made a lot of people in attendance that Sunday morning feel really uncomfortable but it got the point across nonetheless. He told a story about an exotic dancer who started attending church and accepted Jesus into her heart. But instead of leaving the adult industry, she decided to tattoo scripture verses on her body. Her excuse was maybe men would turn to Christ by seeing her tattoos. Whether this story is true or not is unknown but the simple truth is the things we wear and what we put on our bodies do not reflect Christ but it is our actions that should reflect Him. In the case of this story, the actions of this woman did not reflect Christ at all.
Matthew 5:16 in the NIV says, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” The part I want to focus on is “good deeds.” Just last week, I was heading to my Mom’s house to pick her up for Saturday prayer meeting at the church. I took the University Ave exit off 289 heading east and traffic was backed up on the outside lane on the frontage road to turn south onto University. I noticed several cars in front of me had their turn signals on to get out of that lane. One by one, the vehicles in front of me merged to the middle lane until it was my turn and the reason everyone was leaving the outer lane was revealed. There was a driver in a white pickup truck who had his blinkers on and appeared to have broken down. I felt bad for the driver because no one was helping him. The Holy Spirit prompted me to help so I quickly pulled into the parking lot of Target and ran towards the truck and helped pushed it into the parking lot. The driver got out and apologized to me for being in the way and thanked me for the help. Even though I was in a hurry to get somewhere, I honored God with a good deed.
So how do we honor God with good deeds? A good deed is anything that involves the giving of ourselves for another person. We honor God when we volunteer at a soup kitchen on the holidays. We honor God when we minister to the sick and the hurting. We honor God when we look past the stereotypes of cardboard panhandlers and give what we can when the Holy Spirit prompts us to give. We honor God when we pray for those in need. Matthew 25:35-40 puts it best.
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:35-40 NIV
The simple fact is, I don’t need to express myself with a tattoo to prove to the world that I am a Christian. I don’t need to wear NOTW clothing or I Am Second wrist bands to show that I am a Christian. What good are these things if our actions are contrary to our words? Tattoos of bible verses or crosses do not “brand” us as a Christian. Holiness is the true mark of an authentic Christian. Our fruit is the proof that we are one of His (John 15:1-8) so our actions should do all of the talking! We are to bear good fruit and people will recognize who we are by our fruit. Jesus once rebuked the Pharisees because they were more concerned about how they looked on the outside that they neglected their spiritual condition (Matthew 23:27-28). God cares more about the condition of our hearts than the physical. 1 Samuel 16:7 in the NIV says “…The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” Perhaps our focus should be more about our inner condition than how we physically appear to others.
If you are a Christian and are considering getting a tattoo, I highly encourage you to pray about it first. Ask yourself this question: “Does my heart reflect Jesus or are my actions inspired by the basis of conformity and acceptance?” Tattoos or not, remember to always reflect Jesus with your actions and to honor God with your body!
Joshua Hawk 