To View the Video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ntomPjIZa_Q
SHOW NOTES
Imagine this: you walk into church, sit down, and onto the stage walks the new young pastor in ripped jeans, a v-neck t-shirt, and tattoos all over his body. How do you react? What goes through your mind? Do you even think twice about it or do you wonder about his probable criminal past? This week on the Hope Rescue Podcast we are answering the question, "Are tattoos a sin?" Keep reading or listening to find out!
In recent years, tattoos have become more culturally and socially acceptable in America, but it hasn’t always been this way. Even twenty years ago, tattoos were not commonplace, especially for pastors and other Christians. Tim explains that tattoos used to be common on sailors and convicts but that was the majority. Now it is common to see tattoos on really anyone, but not everyone is so accepting to the idea of believers getting tattoos. This week, Tim and Kimberly break down some of the most common arguments against Christians having tattoos and discuss what the bible has to say about the topic.
A common argument against tattoos is 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 which says, “Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.” In these verses, the word “you” used is actually plural and meant for the church as a whole being the temple, not the individual body. We, as a group of believers, are the temple of the Holy Spirit. So these verses are talking about the destruction or disunity of the body as a whole.
People also quote 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 which says, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” These are probably the most quoted verses used against believers who do any sort of damage to their body such as tattoos or smoking because Paul is talking about the individual body. But if you look at the context of 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, you can see that Paul was specifically talking about committing adultery. When a man sleeps with a prostitute, he becomes one with her and has defiled the temple of the Holy Spirit. Sexual sin is different from any other sin because it directly damages your own body and soul. Paul was warning his readers at Corinth that if they were involved in these sexual, promiscuous acts in the pagan temple, they were defiling the Holy Spirit. We have to be careful to not take scripture out of its context and twist it to support our arguments.
Another common argument used against tattoos is Leviticus 19:26-28 which says, “You shall not eat any flesh with the blood in it. You shall not interpret omens or tell fortunes. You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard. You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord." Each of these acts were a form of pagan worship, and that is why the Lord commanded the Israelites to not participate in these acts. In the time this was written, people would tattoo their bodies to memorialize the dead, believing they would benefit spiritually from the markings. If you are interested in learning more about if the Old Testament laws still apply today, check out episode 27 of the Hope Rescue Podcast where we go into detail on the topic.
To finish, Tim explains that tattoos are a morally neutral topic. There is not a moral significance to tattoos; they are a social issue. It is okay to have differing opinions about tattoos, but let’s not shame other believers for choosing to have tattoos. Join us next week as we answer the question, “Is it a sin to drink alcohol?” We love you guys!
QUOTES
“We must be careful to not take scripture out of its context and twist it to support our arguments.” -Tim
REFERENCED SCRIPTURE
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Do you not know that you[a] are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.
Leviticus 19:26-28 “You shall not eat any flesh with the blood in it. You shall not interpret omens or tell fortunes. You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard. You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord."
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