Are tattoos and piercings okay?

First of all may I caution anyone not to criticize others for dressing differently than us. The Bible is very explicit about that.

Rom 14:10

You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother?

The Scriptures does not talk much about tattoos and piercings. It gives us some clear guidelines to follow though.

1. In anything we do, we should do it to the glory of God.

1 Cor 10:31-32

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

2. We should try to be modest in the way we are dressing ourselves.

1 Tim 2:9

I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety

3. We should try to honour God with our body as our body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit.

1 Cor 6:19-20

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body.

4. In the Levitical law, there was a specific law against putting tattoos on you.

Lev 19:28

“`Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.

Before deciding if anything is O.K., ask yourself the following questions:

a. Will it bring glory to God?

b. Will I honour God by doing so?

c. Is it Biblical?

d. What would Jesus do if he were in my place?

Then pray earnestly to your Heavenly Father for directions and He will guide you.

John 14:15-17

“If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you forever- the Spirit of truth.”

By doing so in any decision, you can be assured that you will never make a wrong decision.

Rob Chaffart

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The English word translates a variety of biblical expressions with respect to the above terminologies. In Lk 14:7 Jesus ‘marked’ in the sense of ‘observed closely’. Usually it means a sign, as the mark on Cain’s forehead (Gen. 4:15), using a word which also means a pledge or promise, whereas the similar use in Ezk. 9:4, 6 means a seal that signified that the people so marked belong to the Lord. Rev 14:1, 22:4. Paul says he bears ‘the marks of Jesus” (Gal. 6:17), which probably refers to his having been ‘branded’ as Jesus’ servant by his sufferings. By contrast those who do not follow Christ are pictured as being branded by the mark of the antichrist-beast (Rev. 13:16). In I Samuel 20:20 ‘mark is an archery target (cf. Job 16:12), in Lv. 19:28 a tattoo with forbidden religious associations.

In the African set up marks can be upon a person for the following reasons and purposes:

For tribal protections during wars. The skins of some tribes may be pierced on their faces, backs, foreheads, arms, legs etc. for protection during communal, civil and tribal wars. It is sometimes used as symbols and/or identification that they belong to certain tribes, ethnic or communities. These marks mark debar enemy from coming to them or make people having such marks recognize them during battles.

Socially acceptable tribal marks. These marks may be for cosmetic reasons. It could be piercing around waist of hands, faces and foreheads. Some even use sharp instruments to pierce themselves so that they may look “more beautiful” than they were created by God. They write their names, draw pictures of scorpions, snakes, trees, lizards, fish of special kinds with such objects. Some tribes in African perforate their noses, ears to which they would put all kinds of earrings. To me, this is the beginning of worldliness. Such marks are not acceptable for Christian today. It is vanity upon vanity. We are created in God’s own image. Beautifully does God create us Himself.

For healing processes. Sometimes in the African set-up, piercing into the skin through sharp objects by incisions could be for healing and protection benefits. This is not acceptable for the believers in the sense that certain incantations are pronounced and/or conjured on the powder that would be used to cover the wounds before healing. Certain ungodly rites with some demons would have to be held in order to appease to certain gods. It is a demonic connection with the devil and therefore not acceptable for the Christian. The scripture says in Isaiah 53:5 That by his stripes we are healed. Healing belongs to us as believers. If your faith is not strong enough to appropriate healing by faith, the scientific healing through drugs, injections and other therapy are available in our hospitals. This, I believe do not have demonic connotations.

As a symbol to seal up ocultic covenant. Certain cults have cultivated the habit of inflicting injuries on themselves and leaking blood from the pierced areas as a sign of covenant entered into by the person whose body has been pierced and the community of the cult to which he belongs. This is common in Africa. As soon as a person in the above category gets born again, he should undergo deliverance ministrations and get delivered from such covenant entered into through incision and leaking of his/her blood by covenant/cult members. If this is not done, there could be a linkage by such individual and it may affect the steady spiritual growth of that person.

I am privileged to know the above as a result of my several years of ministering deliverance to people in African-set up. Enquiries, questionnaire and research have revealed the above to me. Knowing them has been of tremendous advantage as I minister deliverance to a broad spectrum of people! To God be the glory!

I will like to conclude that we are no longer under the law. Ignorance has gone with the light of the Gospel. Piercing and tattoos are unnecessary. We have been saved by grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Apart from birthmarks, all other marks of man are unnecessary. Apostle Paul said in Galatians 6:17 “Henceforth, let no one trouble me for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus”. This is an invisible mark; recognized by the invisible God who protects visibly and invisibly from attacks of the enemy.

To receive this invisible mark, one should be born again. Christ has translated us from the kingdom of darkness unto His marvellous light. Turn away from sinful habit and be recreated by the power in His Word.

Rev Debo Adeyemo

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I believe that our bodies are the temple of God. Therfore I am against tattoos and piercing. Dave 

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In the bible it says that are bodies are a living Temple of God. And that we should treat our bodies with respect which includes getting ink injected in your body and piercing is also of that.

In Christ,

Alyssa 

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I don’t believe we will be damned for tattoos. Our Christian life is a personnel thing we are to each one of us be accountable to Jesus The God of Jacob and The God of Abraham.. And we are to treat God with deep respect and look to him as our best friend. I know the answers but truly fall short . I pray Lord make me what you want and not what i do, for I fail and you don’t. Many pastors will argue with the idea that we have ultimate control, I say that Jesus is the potter and we are the clay , and if we desire to be Godly then its he who will make the changes not us after all who is the potter? are we? and when we fail it is our fault not God’s. Thus we must submit to his shaping hand not make changes ourselves.

Jeff Kissee 

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I don’t believe it is good to pierce the body, because it was looked upon as a heathen act accordingly, and a desecration of the body, and only slaves were pierced or chained. Even having earrings and nose rings are not new, because they were done two thousand years ago. I cant find the exact reference in the Bible, but it talks about removing their rings and bracelets and other “jewellery” from their bodies to burn and make the Golden Calf, which Aaron crafted, and that was seen as an abomination unto the Lord God. And because of that behaviour, many were killed and swollen up in the earth, because it was a defiance unto God, that they were not to make any graven image. And many do treat their bodies as a “graven” image by doing such things to their Bodies. 

There is also a verse in the Bible that talks about piercing the Body, but I really cant find it in the Bible I am using. I believe it is found in the King James Version of the Bible. In reference to being as the Heathen, in decorating their body with Tattoos, which has its originality in the Heathen lands. And there is many references to the Body as being the Temple of the Holy Ghost and that we are to treat it as such, which I feel is what God desires from us. So I believe cutting the body in any way..may it be wearing the earrings or nose rings, is not natural, and desecrates the temple of the Holy Ghost, so I believe it is wrong. 

I know many persons who have come to the Lord after they are already tattooed and they feel its “dirty” and want to remove it, and find, they can’t. And they are saddened by it. Because it reminds them of their days of sin. And I also knew someone that got blood poisoned from getting a tattoo, and never has been well since. So, I encourage many not to treat their bodies as they do, because as they get older, they realize too late the damage they have caused.

Susan Aszman 

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Well for this weeks question no I don’t think tattoos and piercing is good ,but I have a small tattoo on my arm and I was a teen when I went and had it done ,I have wished a many of times I had not done such a foolish marking on my body. but I do regret it and back then I didn’t care who thought it was not pretty. But now I do regret it .piercing the ears is not bad but I think people has took it to the extreme also, I think it’s very ugly to have other parts of a body messed up like some people do. I just wish I’d been a smart one and listen to my dad when he said no.

Brenda

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Tattoos and piercing? These are OK for the world but not for the Christian.

These marks on the body draw attention to the body and do not allow the observer to see Christ in us. Poor witness and a poor testimony. If the tattoos were done when the person was lost God will forgive. Most people I know want the marks off after they are saved. Some try to hide the marks. I do not know if scripture tells us about the use of tattoos but from the standpoint of serving as a witness I believe it is definitely wrong. Body piercing is certainly of the devil.

Frank