Bible Verses on Tattoos, Body Piercings
Mass evangelization has drawn many people to churches. Since God's commandment is to open the doors to sinners, people of varied personalities can be seen attending church, including those whose appearance do not conform to the standard clean-shaven, clean-cut and formal "Christian look."
Nowadays, it is not uncommon to see people in church wearing nose rings, weird hairstyles and the most popular of all — tattoos. This has led many young Christians to think that some unconventional appearances have become acceptable because they see it in church.
Leviticus 19:28 states: "And a cutting for the dead you will not make in your flesh; and writing marks you will not make on you; I am the Lord." Deuteronomy 14:1 further commands: "You are the sons of the Lord your God. You shall not cut yourselves or make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead."
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However, liberals point out that the commandment is directed to the Israelites. They also argue that the words tattoo and body piercing are not found in the Bible. Nevertheless, it is still worth noting that God discouraged the Israelites from following the custom of their enslavers.
Historical findings suggest that tattooing has been a common practice since 12000 B.C. as a form of worship to false gods. There is no evidence to prove that early Christians adopted tattooing and body piercing. In fact, God in the Old Testament directed his people to slaughter tribes that don't worship Him.
Lest we forget, we don't own our bodies. As 1 Corinthians 6:19 said: "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." 1 Corinthians 3:17 further states: "If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple."
A real Christian will no longer think of undergoing such painful procedure. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!" says 2 Corinthians 5:17. God has given different sorts of commandments and cutting our own flesh and putting markings on it are not among them.
