Don’t Get a Tattoo
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It started, as all theological family feuds do, with someone under 30 speaking their mind.
They were mid-potluck when Micah, new believer, fresh out of a campus ministry retreat and glowing with post-baptism joy announced:
“I think I’m gonna get a tattoo.”
The room paused like someone had dropped a baby. Aunt Cheryl placed her deviled egg back on the plate without breaking eye contact.
“A tattoo? Honey, your body is a temple.”
Uncle Dave didn’t look up from his coleslaw, but mumbled, “Leviticus 19:28. Look it up.” This from a man whose body has been a temple to pulled pork and Miller Lite since 1994. Micah, unfazed, smiled. “I just thought something like ‘redeemed’ or a lion from Revelation. You know, something meaningful.”
That was the final straw. Aunt Cheryl clutched her pearls like they were rosary beads.
“You can’t just Christianize rebellion. God said not to mark your skin. That’s Scripture.”
“Right,” Micah nodded, “Just like it says not to eat shrimp or wear polyester. Should I burn my socks, too?”
Her mouth opened, but her theology hadn’t planned for a follow-up question. At this point, Grandma just sipped her tea and looked at the ceiling like she was hoping the rapture would take her before dessert.
We Love Rules That Don’t Cost Us Anything
Let’s be honest: our issue with tattoos says more about our need for control than it does about God’s standards.
It’s easier to take a hard stance on visible things than confront the subtle rot in our own lives. We elevate appearance-based morality because it costs nothing and signals everything.
Tattoos? “Carnal.”
Swearing? “Unclean lips!”
Crop tops? “A threat to every youth group boy’s salvation.”
But then:
Gossip? “I just needed to process.”
Pride? “I can’t help that God gave me leadership gifts.”
Judgment? “I’m just concerned for their spiritual health.”
It's holiness cosplay. We act like Jesus is out here giving us modesty checklists and music genre purity tests, when what He actually said was:
“Love your neighbor as yourself.”
“Go and make disciples.”
“Sell what you have and give to the poor.”
You know. The hard stuff. But instead of dying to ourselves, we’re out here dying on the hill of “Don’t mark your body.” All while harboring jealousy, pride, selfishness, and the kind of bitterness that would make even Jonah raise an eyebrow. We’re the spiritual version of a hoarder who obsessively wipes down the outside of their trash cans. It looks clean, but we all still smell the mess…
When Faith Goes Beneath the Surface
The irony of it all is that Jesus was always so uninterested in what people looked like. He didn’t care about appearances. He cared about hearts.
He touched the leper, talked with the Samaritan woman, partied with tax collectors.
He didn’t ask for their résumés, their dress code, or whether they had any regrettable Greek phrases inked on their calves.
In fact, the people who looked the cleanest (the Pharisees) were the ones He rebuked the most.
“You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and self-indulgence.” -Matthew 23:25
Modern translation:
Your Bible is highlighted, but your ego is toxic.
You tithe 10 percent, but treat waiters like trash.
You won’t get a tattoo, but you also won’t say sorry to your wife.
Paul said in Galatians 6:15, “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation.”
That’s Bible code for: external symbols don’t matter, transformed hearts do.
So instead of asking, “Should I get a tattoo?” Maybe ask, “Am I becoming more like Jesus?”
Because you can be fully ink-free and still be a walking contradiction of the gospel.
In Conclusion: Maybe Don’t Get a Tattoo, But For the Right Reason
Look. If the Holy Spirit says not to get a tattoo, obey Him. If your mom says no, consider it. But if your design says ‘integrity’ in Mandarin and you can’t read Mandarin… maybe rethink the whole permanent ink thing.
But let’s stop weaponizing Scripture to pretend our preferences are God’s commands. If the cross on someone’s arm is the reason you don’t think they’re saved, the issue is not the ink, it’s your understanding of grace. The real mark of a Christian isn’t ink, it’s love.
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” -John 13:35
Because when the Judge returns, He won’t be checking for clear skin.
He’ll be looking for clean hearts, quiet obedience, and fruit that lasts.
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