[ Tattoo or Graffiti ] on you or on
GODS HOLY TEMPLE, [ what ? is worse.]
Read: Leveticus 19:28 do not tattoo your self.
1 Corinthians 6:15 Do you not know that
your bodies are members of Christ himself?
1 Corinthians 3:16-19 Don't you know that
you yourselves are God's temple and that God's
Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys [any which way]
God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple
is sacred, and you are that temple.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Therefore Honor GOD with your body
Romans 8:8-11
Ephesians 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words,
for because of such things [ Remember] Matthew 5:19
God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient
Hebrews 10:26 For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remained no more a sacrifice for sins,
. Isaiah 55:11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/audio/play.php?aid=3&book=50&chapter=3&end_chapter=4">
John chapter 3 from NIV
</a>

Thanks so much for your beautiful reminder. I find it painfully disgusting to see otherwise beautiful people smother that natural beauty of the body with tattoos.

Somehow, I can't quite picture that tattoo's would be appropriate in heaven in the presence of our creator. Christ provides a "perfect" resurrection for us. Our bodies will come come forth in their proper and perfect frame... any correctly or perceived imperfections that our bodies may have in this temporal or telestial probationary time in mortality will be corrected in the resurrection. Therefore, is it not appropriate that we should exercise a reverent and sacred stewardship over our present bodies?

Would anyone want to defile this beautiful gift of of a glorified resurrected body so provided by Christ in the resurrection?

Do not the scriptures so clearly teach that if we prepare ourselves to be partakers of the "divine nature", that we shall inherit the same glory as "joint heirs with Christ"?

well that first verse actualy goes like this

(Lev 19:2 You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks on you. I am Jehovah.

note the qulfying words "for the dead"

you see among pagan caultures of the time the tatoing of ones body was belived to help of passage of the spirt of the dead into the afterlife.

however it is not saying annything about tatioes as just an art form in it self.

Well if we are to recive new perfect bodies, then what dose it matter. for that matter dose it say that our new bodies will even by that of flesh and bone?

Hi Lightning,

I like the first part of your response, however I am a little puzzled by your later part.

My position is that our very bodies were bought and paid for by the precious blood of Jesus Christ and we therefore have a sacred obligation to treat them with a most sacred respect.

I quote your last part: "for that matter dose it say that our new bodies will even by that of flesh and bone?"

It appears here, that you may have doubts that we will be resurrected and receive bodies of flesh and bone.

We should remember that Christ was the first fruits of the resurrection.

Do you not also recall that on one occasion when the resurrected Christ appeared to his disciples, that they were terrified and frightened and supposed that they had seen a spirit?

He then told them to handle me and see so that they would know that he indeed had a body of flesh and bones as ye have. If Christ in the resurrection had a body of flesh and bones, then why should you question this point regarding our own resurrection?

well that question is just that. What dose scripture say about it? Becouse at least my memory it is slient, but i may be wrong of course.

Im not saying i have doubts just that i don't know

yes Jesus resurrection dose set a presadence for such but it is never safe nor wise to just asume that it will happen again just becouse of one acurance.

Hey all,
First off, let me personally say that I do not have a problem with tattoos, so long as they do not bring God down in their message. If they are portraying a sin, (somebody having sex with a rhinoceros, for example), then I of course don't agree with them and believe that they are wrong. But it is that type of tattoos that I think are wrong, not tattoos themselves.
Take a look again at 1 Corinthians 6:19,20. These verses conclude a section on sexual immorality. Now, I'm not saying that treating your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit is something that should be done for sexual reasons, but it sounds like the arguments presented by Revelations won is saying that any physical thing you change about yourself is wrong.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Sajang, your interpretation of these Scriptures is just that: your interpretation. The Scriptures never directly state nor imply that tattoos and/or piercings are wrong. (For a similar case, consider when women began to wear pants during the 20th century: conservative Christians then also tried to claim that the Scriptures were against this, although the same argument is never made today, to my knowledge.)

However, for you personally, I would argue that a tattoo is wrong, not because of a Scripture speaking against it, but rather because of your own conscience. (There is a verse, although I do not know the address off-hand, stating that each person shall be judged by his/her own conscience.)

http://touregypt.net/magazine/mag11012000/mag4.htm

Leviticus 19:28
Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD

Make: (hebrew) - nathan - to put or to give
Cuttings: (hebrew) - seret - seh'-ret
and sareteth {saw-reh'-teth}; from 'sarat' (8295); an incision:--cutting.
Flesh: (hebrew) - basar -baw-sawr' from 'basar' (1319); flesh (from its freshness); by extension, body, person; also (by euphem.) the pudenda of a man:--body, (fat, lean) flesh(-ed), kin, (man-)kind, + nakedness, self, skin.
Dead- (hebrew) nephesh neh'-fesh - from 'naphash' (5314); properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental):--any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, X dead(-ly), desire, X (dis-)contented, X fish, ghost, + greedy, he, heart(-y), (hath, X jeopardy of) life (X in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally, one, own, person, pleasure, (her-, him-, my-, thy-)self, them (your)-selves, + slay, soul, + tablet, they, thing, (X she) will, X would have it.
Print - same as nathan - to put - to give
any - (hebrew) - kthobeth keth-o'-beth
from 'kathab' (3789); a letter or other mark branded on the skin:--X any (mark).
Mark - (hebrew) qa`aqa`kah-ak-ah'
from the same as 'Qowa`' (6970); an incision or gash:--+ mark.

I also found something very interesting a tattoo is a scar or mark of a figure or image that you choose to put upon your flesh - skin. there is an incision made with an instrument that pricks the skin which causes a stinging sentation. in ancient times it was called a die.

Greek word for figures: Acts 7:43 - tupo - tupos - too'-pos
from tuptw - tupto 5180; a die (as struck), i.e. (by implication) a stamp or scar; by analogy, a shape, i.e. a statue, (figuratively) style or resemblance; specially, a sampler ("type"), i.e. a model (for imitation) or instance (for warning):--en-(ex-)ample, fashion, figure, form, manner, pattern, print, also 3817 payho to sting.
Which brings us to to greek words STIGMA 4742 - STIZO TO STICK OR PRICK A MARK INCISED OR PUNCHED FOR RECOGNITION OF OWERSHIP - A SCAR OF SERVICE. WHICH BRINGS US TO THE GREEK 5516 - CHI XI STIGMA. GO TO YOUR GREEK REFERENCE AND SEE FOR YOUR SELF WHAT IT MEANS.

ALWAYS IN JESUS

THE BEE

So if tattoos are going to make someone look foolish before God one day, what happens if you get a tattoo while you are running from God and then later in life come back to Him? I am not saying that tattoos are good or bad. I think that if someone chooses to get a tattoo they should be very careful what they get and think it over very carefully, however, I don't think that God is going to get angry with you forever. I think that the tattoo doesn't really matter so much. It is the idea that we should be using our bodies as instruments and places for God do dwell and we should be serving Him.
I wanted to share a little story with this, take form it what you want. A few weeks ago one of my youth worker's brothers came to visit. That same day there was also a new teen there. My youth worker tried to say hello and be friendly and the boy talked to her but there was no connection and she could tell that he just wasn't comfortable around her. Her brother is a very muscular guy who has piercing and tattoos, the complete opposite of her, and he also is a youth worker where he lives. Both of these youth workers love teens and they always have large numbers of them at their house on a daily basis to hang out and fellowship. Anyway, her brother went up to this same teen and got a completely different response. The two hit it off right away and the boy was impressed because he didn't think that church people had tattoos and piercing. He didn't think that those types of people could like teens and church stuff. That teen hung out with our youth group for the next few weeks where as if he had never met this guy I don't think he would have come back.
So that said, not everyone chould go out and get a tattoo. But are tattoos all bad, or can someone who has tattoos love the Lord and reach out better in ways that others can't?

I believe that God does forgives those who had no understanding of what they did not know, but once you do the truth, and you know to do good and do it not, to you it is sin. Meaning thou shalt not do this or that period. Don't go and get more tattoo's after you understand the meaning of Lev 19:28. If you dicide that your going to go against GODS word and go and get one anyway. Well! NOT MY WILL BUT YOUR WILL OH GOD!

Gods wrath is revealed from heaven against those that know the truth and hold that truth in unrighteousness.

Always in Jesus

The bee

Actually, the correct passage is Leviticus 19:28: "You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord."

I make this point to ask a question. I had two tattoos done prior to my obeying the Gospel and becoming a Christian. Apparently I sinned against God in doing so unknowingly. My baptism was for the forgivness of sins. So, my sin of putting marks on my body should have been forgiven, right? If so, are we not presumptious in looking upon others who have tattoos and thinking them condemned for having such?

Peace!

Christian or not it doesn't really matter. When the bible tells us not to do something and we do it anyway it is a sin. And the bible says a sin is a sin is a sin and so on. Even Christians do things that God tells them not to. We all sin and we will spend all of our lives trying to keep ourselves from sinning. Even if you are a Christian and you go out and get a tattoo God will still forgive you for it.
Also, these scriptures are from the Old Testament, can anyone provide something from the new? While I do not think that the Old Testament should be disregarded I know from some experience that there are some who would say that the Old Testament was cancelled out with the new. For example, that's why sacrifices and not eating certain foods are allowed. And these people who think that way have a scripture to back them up. Romans 7:6- "But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve the new way of the spirit, and not the old way of the written code.
Just something to think about if this argument comes up with someone you know.

Since Leviticus was addressing the Jewish community...it doesn't necessarily apply to Gentiles.
I don't particularily like tattoos, why put something on your body that you wouldn't hang on your wall...but it is not expressly forbidden in scripture if we are not Jewish.

I would concur with the post that demonstratres that the reason for the prohibition was what the cuts/marks where associated with; idolatry and or relating to the dead. God's laws always have a purpose...they are not random or merely esthetic in nature.

While I would not encourage tattoos amongst believers, I would also strongly caution against looking down on those who do have them...or have a differing view that does not involve a genuine contradiction of scripture.

Tattoos are a way of expressing one's self and can be used to lift up God. The decision to get a tattoo is one that should not be taken lightly because what you write in that picture or message is engraved into you and is a part of you for life. I think it can be honorable to have a bibical message on a tattoo.

We as NEW TESTAMENT Christians are no longer bound by the old covenant... not to say that the old testament is useless but the laws were written for old testament jews many could have been for hygenic reasons.

While I am not one who is overly enthuistaic about getting tattoos I do not view Tattoos as sinful.

Ok for the record multiable tranlsations

Lev 19:28

(ASV) Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am Jehovah.
(BBE) You may not make cuts in your flesh in respect for the dead, or have marks printed on your bodies: I am the Lord.

(ESV) You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the LORD.

(KJV) Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

(KJV+) Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor printH5414 any marks upon you: am the LORD.

(KJVR) Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

(MKJV) You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks on you. I am Jehovah.

please dont take this out of context see Lev 19: 1-2
God was talking to Moses about the people of Israel... the word People, Sons, community and congregations are used in diff bible versions.

The main points of the book are concerned with legal rules, and priestly ritual. The first 16 chapters and the last chapter describe the Priestly Code, detailing ritual cleanliness, sin-offerings, and the Day of Atonement, including Chapter 12 which mandates male circumcision. Chapters 17-26 describe the holiness code, including the injunction in chapter 19 to love one's neighbor as oneself

Steel Arrow makes a good point....