For many years, the subject of tattoos has been a topic of great debate among Christians. People are often split between two sides: those who believe tattoos are sinful and those who believe they are perfectly acceptable. Arguments can be made for both cases, however, the newer generation has begun to reject the idea that tattoos are inappropriate for Biblical reasons.
Generations of people were told that tattoos were sinful. Not only were they led to believe that their tattoos were against the Bible, but they were told that that tattooing was a pagan practice. Many cite Leviticus 19:28 as the main reason for these beliefs. “You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead, nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the Lord.” The book of Leviticus is full of laws and commands that God gave to His people. These laws regard everything from what they were to wear to how they should behave. So many people respond to this by reasoning that this closes the case, and tattoos are sinful, and will always be. This is simply not true.
Recently, many people have taken a stand against this point of view. If we are to oppose tattoos and state that we must obey that Old Testament law, then we must uphold all laws in the Old Testament. This is not only an unrealistic expectation, but it is also quite impossible. Many of the Old Testament laws seem to be extreme, and most Christians do not follow them. For example, the previous verse states that it is illegal for us to cut our hair or shave. It states that the intertwining of different material for clothes is sinful. Additionally, the Old Testament forbids the eating of pork, shellfish, and many different species of birds. The laws were extreme, and as a result, most people today do not follow them.
The time period in which these laws were written in was a very different culture than the one we live in today. Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and as a result, we do not have to follow an extensive list of do's and don't's. We are not required to go to the altar and sacrifice a lamb every time we sin. We are not bound to follow the Old Testament rules for our atonement. While there is debate about how to apply these laws to our lives, it is important to remember that some of these laws were cultural and are no longer applicable. The time periods have changed, and the laws changed with it. In Corinthians, Paul tells us that he does not need to worry about the pagan connections of eating pork, because he is free in Christ. This can be extended to tattoos, shaving and the many food laws.
The debate regarding tattoos is one that has raged on for years, and many good people disagree over this topic. Personally, I do not think there is anything remotely wrong with them. We are sanctified through Christ, and therefore we are free. Though we should be careful in applying our freedom in Christ to our lives, we are not bound by the Old Testament laws.
