Are Tattoos REALLY a Sin? The Shocking Biblical Truth

Is getting a tattoo a sin? Tune in as we break down this provocative question with the help of biblical scriptures and thoughtful discussions. We start by examining the different types of laws in Leviticus—civil, moral, and ceremonial—and why context matters in understanding these ancient texts. Bryce Crawford joins us to provide historical insights into the original prohibition of tattoos, connecting them to pagan rituals and safety concerns of the times. We explore how Jesus' ultimate sacrifice shifts the application of these laws, prompting you to reflect deeply on your own beliefs.

Next, we delve into how biblical teachings intersect with modern practices by looking at key scriptures like Matthew 5:17-20 and 1 Samuel 16:7. We emphasize the importance of intent and heart posture over outward appearances, encouraging you to seek wisdom and align your choices with biblical principles. Whether you're contemplating your first tattoo or questioning their spiritual implications, this episode offers a balanced perspective to help you form an informed opinion. Join us for a nuanced conversation that underscores the belief that God judges the heart, not just the ink on your skin.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

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Speaker 1: 0:33

So one of the biggest questions that I get asked is Pastor Stephen, do you think it's a sin for me to get a tattoo? Well, my first question to them is have you read what the Bible says? Because, at the end of the day, my opinion doesn't really matter much. This kid his name is Bryce Crawford. I found him on Instagram and the way he was at, he's got this shirt that says I love Jesus and it has something else. I can't see what it says. This guy asked him that is a tattoo artist. He says what do you think about tattoos? Is tattoos a sin? Great question. So listen to what this guy said.

Speaker 1: 1:15

So comment Do you think a tattoo is a sin? Do you think there are. So there's usually in everything there's usually a, a yes, I don't know and a no. So some people are severely hardcore and think that if you do anything like, for instance, I'm a part of a denomination called Church of God and in the probably about 50 years ago or something, because of some of the same Bible verses we're going to read in just a second they wouldn't wear their wedding bands because it was jewelry, okay. So I think sometimes we overcorrect on some things and we take some things that were given to a certain people and we take them, as this is for everybody, always. And so listen to what this kid says. I found it very interesting. At the end of the day, I'm going to obviously let you decide for yourself, but he makes some pretty valid points, so let's listen to this.

Speaker 2: 2:10

Is it no, oh, no, no, no, good question. So in Leviticus it talks about not marking your body. In Leviticus there's three types of laws. You have civil laws, you have moral laws and then you have ceremonial laws. It doesn't blatantly say which ones are which in the Bible, so when you study it you have to like have context. But when it talks about marking your body, it's important to know two reasons why they told you not to mark your body. Number one they were doing it for satanic rituals and to worship other gods. So people were giving themselves tattoos to worship other gods and, yeah, to rebel against God. The other two completely unsafe.

Speaker 2: 2:45

When it talks about marking your body, it falls into a category of laws that talks about you can't wear clothes of the same cloth. That's ceremonial law. So ceremonial law gets canceled when Jesus dies on the cross. Under ceremonial law also includes sacrificing animals for your sins. We don't have to do that anymore because Jesus paid the ultimate price. So in the same way, jesus didn't change the law, he just fulfilled the law so that people don't have to do certain things anymore.

Speaker 2: 3:12

It's a combination of Jesus just paying the way. Also, like, what's your heart posture? Like my heart posture is to bring people conversations about the gospel through tattoos. Someone's heart posture might be to get a tattoo to worship Satan. Do you think tattooing is a sin?

Speaker 1: 3:27

Okay.

Speaker 1: 3:28

So what do you think about that? Do you think he was pretty accurate in his description? Do you think that how he views it is biblical? So let's go to Leviticus, chapter 19. Here we go. So this is the Lord giving instruction to Moses, telling him about holiness in personal conduct. Now, I say this all the time when I'm teaching, when I'm preaching, because the context, it means something. What does that mean? That means that you need to know what is happening and why it's happening. So you can't just okay, for instance, let's go to this right here. This is the scripture.

Speaker 1: 4:12

Okay, do not cut your bodies for the dead and do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the Lord. Okay, if we read just that verse, it's like oh, I'm not supposed to do it Now. Tattoos back then is not what they do today. They are stabbing you with needles, but I guess then it was more of like a cutting and then they stain it. I don't know, I guess that's like prison tattoo stuff, right? So let's start in verse one. We're not going to read the whole thing, because obviously it's like 30 verses later, but I want you to get some context and kind of think it through.

Speaker 1: 4:51

So when I studied the Bible. This is a little bit of my personal preference. Find a version of the Bible that you like and you can read easy. If it's an NIV, if it's a new King James, or some people think that King James is like the only version. So we'll let them take that up with God when they get to heaven.

Speaker 1: 5:07

So, verse one the Lord also said to Moses give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. Okay, do you see that right there? Okay To Israel. Okay, god's chosen people. Now, if you know anything about the lineage that comes from these people, they are God's chosen people, they're Israelites. Okay. Then later they become Jews, and then you have the Jews and the Gentiles. The Gentiles is pretty much everybody else. I look down on there. And then you have the Samaritans. Samaritans are like dogs. To them, it's just, it's not a. I mean, back then it was a racial thing pretty much, but the race and religion went hand in hand. So if you were Jewish, you listened to the Mosaic Law Like that was your thing. You followed it to the T. You did everything, and they still do today. Everything that was given to Moses to do. They do it still. So they're very law-oriented.

Speaker 1: 6:10

Now we're going to look at a scripture in a minute where people are blaming or saying that Jesus is doing away with things because he says about the Sabbath. He says that the Sabbath was created for man, not man for the Sabbath, meaning that, yes, you can work on a well, we celebrate church day on a Sunday, but actually Jewish is on a Saturday. So like there's all this, whatever. Like me, I really don't get a day off, but sometimes my body makes me. I work a lot, I work two jobs and then do this podcast, but thank the Lord for editors because I don't have to do it no more. But it's just like you get caught up. You're making money, you've got to provide for your family. We have all these excuses of why we don't need a day off, or then we do things with other people. That is not necessarily filling us, but it fills them, so we just go along with it and then we never get actually full again and that makes a very irritable and annoying life. So I like number three. Verse three says each of you must show great respect to your mother and your father and you must always observe the Sabbath days of rest. I am the Lord, your God, okay.

Speaker 1: 7:17

So then it goes on and you can see a lot of these up here in the beginning are basically broken down and elaborated on the 10 commandments. So a lot of it is right there. Like right here do not steal, do not deceive or cheat, do not bring shame on the name by using it. Swear falsely, okay. So here's the 10 commandments do not fraud, do not defraud sorry, um, let's go down. Then you have like even if a guy has sex with a slave girl whose freedom has never been purchased, who is committed to be another man's wife, he must pay fully compensation to her master so he can actually take her on as a, I guess, a wife. You know, eat the meat been meat, not been drained of its blood. So if you read or study anything about the blood, it's designed very well because the blood of Jesus is so important and his blood is the only blood that is worthy of receiving. Everything else is made for god and uh. So if you, uh, oh, here's one right here.

Speaker 1: 8:34

So we've been in our was in that bible study, we've been doing a spiritual warfare and it says we have some questions about spirits and you know things pretending to be good spirits and we're not. We're called, we are mandated to not dabble in that world. That's not meant for us, it's meant for God. And so things will pose as like, look like someone you know, or it will try to talk to you, interact with you, to speak where you can hear them move things around. Uh, act playful when really you're inviting dangerous things into your life.

Speaker 1: 9:06

So do not practice fortune telling or witchcraft. Do not trim off the hair on your temples. So no bangs, guys, it looks weird Beatles. Or trim your beards. Now you're going through this and you're kind of like oh okay, maybe I'm not going to do that one, I'm not going to listen to that one. Do not cut your bodies for the dead and do not mark your skin with tattoos. Do not defile your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will be filled with prostitution and wickedness.

Speaker 1: 9:40

Keep the Sabbath day at rest. Here it is again. Show reverence towards my sanctuary. I'm the Lord. So this is why I say things about Catholics. This verse right here I am the lord, um. They pray for help from dead people and they're like and I've seen rebuttals on on my videos and they say, well, if they died, they're now alive in christ. Don't try to twist things up, bro. You pray. You're talking to pray to only God, jesus or the Holy Spirit. That is it. The rest is not something you should be messing with or touching. So, anyways, that's kind of where that comes from Now.

Speaker 1: 10:40

Now you have to think about this when did the Israelites just come from? Okay, the Israelites were freed from Egypt, and so these things are what the Egyptians would do. They would do all the things God is saying don't do was what the Egyptians, what that land would do to pray to their gods, to sacrifice to their gods. They said they would be like, they feel like they would get power when they drank somebody's blood or something's blood. It was a very common practice, and even in witchcraft and devil worship today, that is a very common thing, and we are not to touch the blood except for the blood of Jesus, and that's kind of. The main thought is that the blood that we partake of is only the blood of Jesus. Everything else should not be touched or consumed by us, and so that's it's to keep us pure, to keep, keep us holy before god, because we don't want to be unclean. That's the whole, the whole reason. So you have right.

Speaker 1: 11:44

Here in matthew, chapter 5, 17 through 20, it says now don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of moses or the writings of the prophets, no, I came to accomplish their purposes. Now, here in first samuel, chapter 16 and 7, it says but the lord said to samuel don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. So this was when the prophet comes before Jesse, and he has David then being the king, david's brothers, saying that he was going to find someone worthy. Well, it ended up not being somebody worthy, because the father didn't want David to be even known. He had him out in the pasture with the sheep.

Speaker 1: 12:27

Now, that being said, the reason I had this scripture in 1 Samuel 16 is because I wanted you to think about this. The kid ended the little video with the posture of the heart, and so this is very important and key for us who are quick to judge, are quick to think. We know people's motives and we actually don't. We assume. An assumption can end up making us act out, say things and regurgitate what we hear instead of actually what is truth, and that's a very dangerous thing for us to do. So what do you think? Do you think that tattoos are sin? Can it be used, like this kid actually said? He uses it to make people ask questions about God, so I guess he's marking up his body for God. To me, the key part of that text was to not do the marking up the body for the dead, but it also says don't talk to the dead. So obviously it's trying to separate you from that, because that was a big thing where they were freed from.

Speaker 1: 13:32

Another thing is I believe with all my heart that God sees our hearts and he knows our intent. With all my heart, that God sees our hearts and he knows our intent, and I don't think some ink is going to keep you out of heaven. That being said, be careful what you put on your body, because the Bible also tells us to not do things that may make others stumble. And just because you do something crazy and it's like something you just thought looked cool, if somebody else is a Satan worshiper, I mean this is a worst case scenario and they see you doing that and they're like, well, if they can do it, so can I?

Speaker 1: 14:08

People justify and justify and justify on someone else just because they see somebody do something or they think they see something like oh, if they can do that, then I can do this, and sometimes they're not even related, so just walk carefully, just pray. If you're a Christian, pray about it. Seek wise counsel, ask somebody who will tell you the truth and love you and give you an honest answer, and give you a biblical answer, not just something that they think you want to hear. That's all I got. So leave your comment below and tell me what you think is tattoos a sin, or does God think it's okay?

Speaker 2: 14:47

Faith and Failures Podcast.