What's the Stink About Ink

 "Mom, what does that guy have all over his arms?"  "Those are tattoos. He's probably not saved and needs to hear about Jesus. We should pray for him."  I've heard similar conversations from others and I know I've had those conversations myself at one time, but what does the Bible say?

First of all, does the Bible clearly teach that tattoos are sin?  Some would say, “Yes” based on 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." It seems pretty clear if you isolate that phrase. The preceding verse talks about not eating anything with blood and not shaving around the sides of your head. In that culture those things were pagan rituals and meant something very different than they do today. So, if a Christian believes tattoos to be sin based on this verse, they must also abstain from the other things mentioned in the preceding verses to be consistent with their beliefs. It's more about motives.

Second, we must be very careful not to look at someone’s outward appearance and judge their heart. People get tattoos for different reasons- Maybe as a memorial to a child who has died, or to remember a momentous event in their life or maybe to have a constant reminder of a verse that has been a source of strength. I have Christian friends who have tattoos and some got them after they were saved. The Bible says that we will know them by their fruit, not by whether or not they have tattoos, or the length of their hair or the way they dress or any other external thing. If we can tell the state of someone’s heart by their outward appearance, where do we draw the line? We can only know if someone is a Christian if there is evidence of the fruits of the Spirit in their life. We can only see evidence of that if we get involved. Next time you see someone with a tattoo, feel sorry for them and say, "They're obviously unsaved and just need Jesus", think again, maybe they just saw you loose your patience with your child and they were thinking the same of you.

John 13:35   "By this shall all know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

Galatians 5:22-24    "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against this there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."