At The Adventure Center Church we do not look down on those with tattoos or piercings.
There is nothing in the New Testament that expressly forbids tattoos or piercings.
There’s no biblical mandate and little cultural taboo concerning tattoos.
Therefore, self-righteous legalism against tattoos is not doing anything good for the church.
THE REAL REASON FOR THE TATTOOS
It’s simple. COMMITMENT. I think it’s necessary to regularly remind myself of the importance of commitment in a world that’s terrified by it. Tattoos, for the most part, are a visual, physical lifelong commitment.
A very kind, supportive, and faithful southern Christian gentleman asked me about tattoos a number of years ago. His daughter had mentioned that she was interested in getting a tattoo and he wanted me to talk to her about how this would be against God’s will. I started by suggesting that since she was still a legal dependent of her father, this was an issue of respecting your God-given authorities as much as anything (4th Comm; Eph. 6:1-3). I proceeded by asking him why he felt tattoos were against God’s will. He said something about how “Doesn’t God forbid it, in the Old Testament?” So we opened our Bibles to Leviticus 19:28, a section regarding tattoos that is often pointed to by people who recognize the authority of the Bible’s words but who don’t recognize the reality of the Bible’s setting, context, and writing style. Lev. 19:28 says, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.” Right there it was. Was he right? I asked the man, however, to read the preceding verse, “Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.” (Lev. 19:27) I gently, kindly, and firmly told him that if he wants me to be a consistent and faithful Bible teacher and tell his daughter that tattoos are evil, according to his logic, I’m going to have to call him to repentance for his recent haircut.
There is a verse in the Old Testament law that forbade the Israelites from getting tattoos and piercings in Leviticus 19:28. The reason was that the pagan nations were doing it to honor false gods and idols and God wanted His own people to be different and stand out.
Under the NT, we are no longer under the OT law that Moses gave. That being said, in the NT it says that our bodies are the temple of God. We are still to honor God with our bodies as it says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. Although that verse is particularly talking about sexual immorality and how serious God takes sexual purity, it could also apply to tattoos and piercings. 1 Corinthians 10:31 tells us to do all things to the glory of God.
Now with piercings, they are just like any other piece of jewelry. They are not sinful. But if you choose to get a piercing, then be mindful of of where and how you get it. Some piercings styles can be way over the top and draws much more attention to yourself than need be.
As far as tattoos, they’re a bit more tricky. Remember, that a tattoo is permanent and often wear out over time. Especially as a Christian, we need to represent Christ in all we do and the last thing we want is to have something tatted on you that misrepresents Christ.
As far as these things go, this is something you should pray for wisdom on. Most importantly, listen to your conscience. If your conscience feels bad about getting a tattoo then don’t.