There is a lot of debate regarding tattoos and the christian faith. There are many Christians who argue against tattoos for Christians because of Levitical law.
You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the LORD. Levitcus 19:28
Now this is true under Levitical law, but we have to remember that these laws were given to the Nation of Israel, and not the Body of Christ. We are still effected by the moral law, or the Ten Commandments, but we are no longer under the ceremonial or civil law. For example, like cutting your hair. The Israelites followed these laws because they were not to be like the Egyptians, they were to be set apart. We, Christians, are also to be set apart, but in a loving way and not an appearance way.
Tattoos may not necessarily be a sin to get, but it all depends on the meaning behind it. Shari Abbot, in reference to tattoos, writes:
In many ways they are similar to make-up, hair color, tanning, piercings, clothing, etc, that alters one’s appearance. Such things affect the way in which we present ourselves and the way in which others perceive us. However, unlike make-up, hair color, etc, tattoos are permanent. Therefore, anyone considering getting a tattoo should carefully and prayerfully consider what the tattoo will look like like, and what it will “say,” both today and in years to come.
So, if your tattoo was prayerfully considered, and the meaning behind your tattoo is not sinful, then most likely then not, your tattoo is not a sin. We just have to remember that as Christians we are the Christ-like example for many people.
Growing up I heard both sides of the tattoo argument, one side from my dad and the other from my mom. My dad has multiple tattoos, so he is all for tattoos with a meaning. My mom, on the other hand, is not a huge fan of tattoos in general. Can you just imagine the chaos in my house when I told my parents I was getting a tattoo? I had been talking about getting a tattoo for awhile, and my mom seemed okay with it because my reasoning behind it, but mainly only because she never thought I would go through with it because I HATE needles. Now my dad was completely fine with it all the way through, he even offered to pay for it.
My tattoo is the first part of my great-grandfather's advice to me before I went away to college, "Hold your head high." I had this tattoo done while I was at college, in Kentucky, and my parents were in Pennsylvania. I called them up on the Saturday before President's Day, on that Monday, and told them I was getting the tattoo. Now my dad's response was "You go girl!" but my mom was not as thrilled. She tried to have my dad convince me into waiting until I went home to get it done, but this was something that I prayerfully considered for a few months and it felt like the right time, especially since that Friday night we almost lost my Poppop. So, that Monday morning my friends and I all piled in a car (because that's what you do when the least likely person in your friend group to get a tattoo is getting a tattoo) and we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast, and headed over to the tattoo parlor. While I wasn't able to get my tattoo done that particular morning, I made an appointment and had it done that afternoon. I walked out of that parlor with a huge smile and a permanent mark on my wrist to remind me everyday of the words my Poppop spoke to me.
