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Can Christians Get Tattoos? 5 Biblical Principles Show the Answer

Tattoos are more popular than ever. Your friends, family, coworkers, and people of all ages are getting inked, right? You might even be thinking about getting one yourself—but there is something that should be considered first.

One important question we should answer before getting a tattoo is what does God say about it?

In this video, we will answer that question and go over five biblical points to consider regarding tattoos.

But before we get into it, if you are new to this channel, we make these videos to explain Bible topics in an easy-to-understand way.

We believe the Bible is the foundation of truth, and everyone can benefit from it. So give us a like, and help spread the Word.

Are Tattoos a Sin? Yes | Leviticus 19:28 Explained

1. God’s word forbids tattoos.

When God made a covenant with the nation of Israel, He gave them His commandments and laws.

By following these laws, His people would serve as an example nation to the rest of the world (Deuteronomy 4:5-6).

One of the laws God commanded was:

You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the LORD (Leviticus 19:28).

The practice of tattooing or imprinting marks on the body was something the heathen and pagan nations around Israel were doing. But God clearly commanded His people to NOT follow these customs.

It is important to remember that God’s laws determine what is sin, and what is not sin (1 John 3:4). His laws distinguish the clean from the unclean, and the holy from the profane (Leviticus 10:10).

Therefore, God declared tattooing as an unholy, sinful practice that His people should avoid.

And even though this law was given to the ancient nation of Israel under the Old Covenant, it reveals God’s perspective on the matter. And God makes clear that He does not change based on the cultural shifts of the times (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8).

Also, God clearly condemns the practice of worshiping Him through images or idols (Exodus 20:4-6; Deuteronomy 5:8-10; Deuteronomy 4:15-18, 23).

Your Body Is Created in the Image of God | Genesis 1:26 Explained

2. The human body was made perfect from the beginning, and it reflects the image of God.

God is the designer of the human body—man is not. And when God created the human body, He specifically designed it to resemble His own.

In Genesis 1:26-27, God said:

“Let Us make man in Our image, according to our likeness....” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them….

And when God finished His work:

Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good (Genesis 1:31).

The human body was “very good.”, it was perfect in its original form. The human body is a masterpiece, handcrafted by God.

King David exclaimed:

For you formed my inward parts; you covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:13-14).

Therefore, the human body should be treated with godly care and respect. It should reflect our Creator who is pure, holy, and perfect.

The body should not be intentionally defaced, scarred, damaged, or permanently modified in ways God does not approve. We must be careful to not alter or distort the image of God in ways that go against God’s design and plan for humanity.

Your Body Is the Temple of God—Don’t Defile It | 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Explained

3. A Christian body is the holy temple of God.

In the Old Testament period, God dwelt among His people in various ways. First, by pillar of cloud and fire (Exodus 13:21). Then it was within the Holy of Holies inside the tabernacle or temple (Exodus 40:32; 2 Chronicles 5:14).

However, after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God chose to live with and within mankind through His Holy Spirit, which He would give to those He calls (John 14:16-17; Acts 2:38-39).

Therefore, the body of a true Christian serves as the “temple” in which God, through His Holy Spirit, dwells on earth today.

The Apostle Paul explains:

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you (1 Corinthians 3:16)?

And he warns the brethren, saying:

If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are (1 Corinthians 3:17).

This means a Christian should reverence his or her body as they would the temple of God (Leviticus19:30).

To engrave an image or cover the body in tattoos would be as though someone carved into or spray-painted across the sacred walls of God’s holy temple in an effort to improve it with their own ideas of art or beauty.

How to Glorify God in Your Body | 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Explained

A Christian’s body belongs to God.

God the Father has offered the life of His Son to pay for our sins and redeem us from the death penalty (John 3:14, Romans 3:23-26).

By accepting the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38), a true Christian is thereby surrendering their life over to God. They have been redeemed, or bought back from death, and belong to God for His will and purposes.

Therefore, a Christian’s body becomes God’s, and they must give Him total authority over it.

The Apostle Paul explained (in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20):

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

A Christian’s body is to be used to glorify God. Rather than revealing and showing off parts of the body to attract attention with body art, God wants His people to dress modestly (1 Timothy 2:9; 1 Peter 3:3-4) and not to parade themselves (1 Corinthians 13:4).

And while outward presentation does matter to God, what is more important is the way a Christian glorifies Him in the life they live.

The Bible shows we can glorify God in many ways, such as:

• offering praise (Psalm 50:23, Hebrews 13:15)
• with singing (Psalm 147:1)
• in prayer (John 14:13)
• by being spiritually fruitful (John 15:8)
• with good works (Matthew 5:16)
• by remaining faithful to Him through trials and persecution (1 Peter 4:14-16, Matthew 5:11-12)
• by worshipping and obeying Him (1 Peter 2:12)

But it does not show that Christians should seek to glorify Him with any type of body art or mutilation.

Be Separate from the World | 2 Corinthians 6:17 Explained

5. God wants His people to be separate from the world.

Tattoos aren’t new. They have been used for millennia in various cultures and for many reasons. But today, their popularity has grown and they are trending amongst many peoples around the world.

Yet God directs His people away from following the latest trends of society, and to represent a different way of life—His way of life—and the coming Kingdom of God on earth

Jesus prayed for His disciples, saying, “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:16).

Rather than being part of this world and its ungodly trends, Christians are ambassadors for God’s Kingdom (2 Corinthians 5:20).

They are to:

Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you (2 Corinthians 6:17).

Christians should not love the ways of the world, because the things of this world are not of the Father, but temporary and passing away (1 John 2:15-17).

Tattoos are merely physical, and a temporal, now popular way of trying to identify as a Christian

Yet true Christians are identified by the eternal Spirit of God dwelling in them (Romans 8:9), allowing the obedient, faithful life of Jesus Christ to be carried out in their everyday conduct and choices (Galatians 2:20, Romans 5:10).

Tattoos are not the marks of Christianity. Rather, it is the obedient life of Jesus Christ in a Christian that identifies them as a true Christian

Now, before we close, many of you watching this video may already have tattoos. Well, there’s no going back, and they don’t need to be removed.

God is merciful and forgiving and does not hold these things against us—if we ask for forgiveness, repent, and simply make the right decisions going forward.

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And did you know some THINK Earth is only 6,000 years old? Watch this video to see what the Bible really says about the age of the Earth.