Tattoos have become so popular, and to some, a strong meaning is attached to every ink injected.
The question that lingers in most Christians is whether a tattoo is a sin in Christianity. Opponents argue that it is a sin, as per Leviticus 19:28, whereas proponents use Revelations 19:16 to argue their point.
Mine is to give you both points of view per the rule book of Christianity and my point of view, and yours is to make a well-informed decision. Stay tuned!
Brief History of Tattoos
Enslaved people were marked and easily identified as someone’s property in the Middle East using incisions or tattoos.
In ancient Egypt, women used to tattoo prints of their fertility goddess on their thighs and abdomen and believed doing that was to bring good luck when they gave birth.
In the old testament times, tattooing or making permanent incisions was an act of expressing deep sorrow, as evidenced in Jeremiah 16:6.
In ancient times, Canaanites used to mark their bodies, sometimes to the extreme of peeling their skin as a ritual to honor and pray to their gods, as per 1 kings 18:28.
I have given you brief historical use of tattooing, and in all instances, it is applied for evil purposes, so will Christianity align with such a practice? I don’t think so, but the choice is yours.
Reasons Against Getting a Tattoo as a Christian
1. Modesty
The focus of tattoos is to make the external body too appealing and to draw people’s attention toward you.
But Christianity advocates for drawing attention towards God and doing everything for His glory, not our glory.
2. Message
As a Christian, you are an ambassador of Christ; hence you should be mindful of the message you portray through tattoos.
As a messenger of Christ, it would not be wise to adorn tattoos of vulgarity, demonic symbols, gang signs, or scary figures, as is common with most tattoo lovers.
3. Health
Tattoos are painful when applied to your body. Even worse, they can result in infections, severe scarring, allergy, and hepatitis.
If not done in the utmost hygienic environment, tattooing may result in your blood being exposed to bacteria and unwanted contaminations.
According to Christianity, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which means that injuring it or making funny drawings violates the Spirit’s temple.
4. Image
People tend to judge individuals with tattoos negatively. Even most jobs are hard to get if you have visible tattoos because there is a blanket judgment of perceiving you with a tattoo as being a crook.
As a Christian, you ought to have the image of Christ whose character is holy, meek, humble, loving, and simplistic. Tattoos don’t seem to mimic that Christly character.
5. Motive
The Bible says you should present your body holy and living sacrifice to God and avoid conformity with the world as per Romans 12: 2-3.
So you should question yourself whether your tattoos bring glory to God or whether you are having them because it is trendy and fashionable globally.
In most instances, tattoos are for glorifying the self and not for leading people to Christ.
6. Financial Aspect
Money is a rare and useful resource that you should put to good use. When God has blessed you with more money than you need, you ought to assist the less fortunate. That is what Christianity teaches.
Tattooing is expensive to acquire and even more expensive when you remove them. That counts as wasting money you can use for charitable courses and godly ventures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Christ Have a Tattoo?
Those who say Jesus may have had a tattoo use the verse in Revelations 19:16 to justify that claim.
The verse does not explicitly say that it’s a tattoo. It could be a symbolic statement and not literal as it is written or supernatural writing we have no idea about.
That verse doesn’t hold enough weight to permit Christians to get whatever tattoos they desire.
Can You Acquire Demons Through Tattoos?
I can’t authenticate such a strong claim, but it is good to know that tattoos stem from heathen cultures in ancient times and worshipping of foreign gods, as I have highlighted above in this article.
If the origin seems ungodly, then as a Christian, you should think twice before acquiring a tattoo.
Conclusion
As per the above article, I can advise you to go slow and think twice about getting a tattoo if you profess to be a serious Christian.
I can dare say it is a sin to get a tattoo as a Christian because it violates your body which is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and I won’t advise you to get one as a Christian.
Please go through the above article carefully, and I hope it will help you make an informed, Christly decision concerning acquiring a tattoo.
