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 >:(    [ Tattoo or Graffiti ] on
GODS HOLY TEMPLE,
is a Big Zin.
Read: Leviticus 19:28 do not tattoo your self.
         1 Corinthians 3:16-19
         1 Corinthians 6:19-20
            Romans       8:8-11   
       :o

Isn't it amazing that we have a Savior who loves us and wants to have a relationship with us no matter what we look like!?!  :D

Some had tattoos before they came to Christ, He still accepts them. Some got them after they came to Him, He still accepts them.  ;)

Those tattooed folks - where are they in their walk with Him?

Amen Sincereheart!

HE accepts us, warts and all.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Psalms 139:16 NASB  Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.

I guess my question is, what is the neccessity of "making a statement"? If we have to show we're Christians by our tatoos or the clothes we wear, something is wrong.  I don't believe in advertising Christianity with funny, witty little sayings.  I believe the best way to show our Christianity is by our actions and our love. 

That being said, I don't know if you could consider getting a tatoo a "sin" or not...but they kind of turn me off, and I would never even consider getting one.  The whole idea seems vulgar. 

I myself have no tatoos, my own opinion is they are nasty to look at and disfigure the body. A body, which God made for his temple. My late wife, felt the same way, I felt about tatoos. I will not judge those that had, tatoos before being reborn. Though I would believe that a tatoo, after being reborn is a sin.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own, 20 You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body.

These are just my thoughs though.
Bob

Ya know, I don't like tattoos. And as my husband so eloquently states:
"I was in the Marine Corps for twenty years and I was never stupid enough to get a tattoo."  ;D
But those are personal opinions.  ;)

And I've often heard that it's ok to have a tattoo BEFORE you come to Christ and not after.... but that sounds an awful lot like splitting hairs. If you're already tattooed, you may come to Christ Who loves you. But if you get one after, He no longer loves you? Or you must repent of it? ???

Which one?   ;D ;D

I have many:

One Nation Under God!

God Bless America

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life

Want to know Jesus, ask me

and a whole lot more

Just because we are Christians doesn't mean we have to be stuffy!
Nothing wrong with a little humurous t-shirt or bumper sticker.

I have tattoos. I got them when I was a full blown heathen.
I wish I didn't have any now, but I don't care if people have them. I think there's more to the tattoo scriptures than we think there is.

John

I agree with that. 

Leviticus 19:28  "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves.  I am the Lord."  Correct me if I am wrong, but pagans of the time would cut or tattoo themselves as a form of worship to their gods.  I think it is more likely God was saying "Don't copy this specifically because it is a form of idol worship."

Meanwhile the scriptures from 1 Corinthians are rather taken out of context; 3:16-17 is talking about a temple we form as a group, not the temple which is our body.  While 6:19-20 is in fact talking about the temple which is our body, it is referring to  destruction from sexual promiscuity.

As for Romans 8:8-11, I really don't understand what that has to do with tattoos, unless we're trying to connect tattoos with being controlled by a sinful nature, which I don't find the scripture to support that. 

C'mon people.  You must have certainly learned by now that there are people who try to make themselves feel superior by putting other people down.  Usually they have sins they are having trouble dealing with so they will point out other "sins" to try to get their attention off their own.

Hello Chaplain Bob,

You're right, and I think that is one of the values of having a discussion like this. It also points out the complex perceptions of others and how our testimonies could be effected. We all have a list of things to work on and we all need to pray for God's help.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Galatians 6:2 NASB  Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.

That's true, but I think there are also those who are trying hard to understand God's word, and truely want to obey.
Chaplin Bob, you look like Richard Hoaglund! :D
Welcome aboard my brother.

John

God loves all and want us all to repent of our sins and acept Him as our Lord and Savior. As the Word says in part 'whoseoever believeth in Him', now that means anyone regardles of wether they are tattooed, blind, lame, deaf, body pierced, an ex-con, a prisoner, 'WHOSOEVER'. But once a person has received Jesus as his Lord and Savior and his relationship with God grows, and his knowledge of the Word and his Wisdom increases, he will realize that God does not want anyone to tattoo their bodies, but that is after you come to know God, not before. God will not turn anyone down because they had a tattoo. now if a Christian gets tattooed after he is reborn, and is repentant, God is merciful and quick to forgive.

Amen Sister, did you know that Jesse Duplantis played with a rock metal band back in the day? He played with Steel Butterfly, and the wrestler Sting, who has tattoos is also a born-again Christian, so is Chuck Norris, there are many many wonderful Christians who have had a tremendous change in their lives when they received Jesus as their Lord, and they are no less loved than anyone of us. There are some beautiful Christians male and female at my church that were also tattooed, and they are such a wonderful example of what Christians should be they are loving, caring people just like anyone else who love the Lord, and He loves them just as they are. None of us are perfect, if we were than we why would God have sent His only begotten Son to save us?

Um, I'm still not finding scriptural support that tattoos are sinful (unless, of course the tatoo happens to be of a naked lady or an idol, or something like that).   

Don't get me wrong; I don't have tattoos, either, nor do I have any plans on getting tattooed, I just think we need to stick to truth. 

The truth is that our bodies are made in the likeness of God. We are the temple of God. Now the question to answer is "Would God want His handy work messed with and His temples decorated in such a manner?"

Erm, when it says man was made in God's image and likeness, does that mean physical image and likeness? 

Once again, I don't find the scripture to support that.  I do, however, find support that likeness is referring to righteous and holiness:  "And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Ephesians 4:24

There is another reference to knowledge in Colossians 3:5-10:  "And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him"

Also, when we are told we will be conformed to the likeness of Jesus in Romans 8:29, is that referring to physical likeness?

If there is scripture that shows I am misinterpreting these passages, please let me know. 

In the Hebrew language the word tselem means image as used in Gen 1:26. The word means  resemblance and is used frequently in describing a figurine or idol that is made in the image of something else. In other words a physical likeness of something.

Eph 4:24 is talking about being born again, not the original creation of man which is what Gen 1:26 is referring to. Gen 1:26 is speaking of the physical creation of man. Two separate things.

Again Rom 8:29 is not speaking of the original creation (the flesh ) of man. The Greek word in this verse, eikōn, can be used for either a physical or figurative meaning.

So there is a big difference here. We are physically in God's image. When we are born again we are made into the righteous image of God.

Mockingbird, of all of God's creation the Bible only speaks of man being made "after the image and likeness of God", man is the only one of all God's creation that is capable of feeling love, along with all other emotions, speaking, making choices, having a conscience, thinking and even the 5 senses. In this respect we are made in God's own image and likeness, we are also tri-part meaning (speaking in the first person, but applies to all humans) I am a spirit, I possess a soul, and I live in a body. God made us that way 'spirit', 'soul', 'body'. God is Triune God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost. There are many wonderful books that can explain to you how God made man in His image. But the best book to learn from of course is the Bible. All ther books are tools to help you understand. I will do a little reseach and see if I can get a title of a book that could help you in that area.
As for tatoos, the Bible calls us saints, we are holy, we have been made holy, because we are God's children and He is a Holy God, we have been set aside, we are sacred that is what the word set aside means. God wants us to treat our earthly bodies, as His Temple.

First of all, this is the entire, cut and pasted definition of tselem: 
Take special note of the word figuratively.  Also, the word idol does not denote physical likeness, merely representation or symbol.

Second, Gen 1:26 is referring to both the physical and the spiritual creation of man, correct? 

Third, when we are born again, wouldn't we be a lot like Adam and Eve before they ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil? 

Fourth, when we go to heaven, we leave our bodies behind to decay and rot. 

Now, upon further study, I will concede man was also made in the physical image of God.  The word likeness: 
However, is it our physical body that is the temple, or is it the spiritual?  Is it the physical body that should be free from impurities, or the spiritual? 

"Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out the body?  But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things make a man unclean.  For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.  These are what make a man unclean; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him unclean."  Matthew 15:17-20

Does a tattoo make a man unclean?  I realize a tattoo is permantent while food is temporary, but so is the body temporary and the spirit eternal.  Does a tattoo dishonor God, or is it evil thoughts that dishonor God?  There was the question, "Would God want His handy work messed with and His temples decorated in such a manner?"  Is it the tattoos that decorate the temple, or is it the evil thoughts? 

I guess the question I'm asking, does a tattoo in itself cause us to stumble?

Mockingbird, many Scriptures have been posted to help you understand and many views have been given.
So I guess the answer to your question quoted above in my own opinion is only if you let it

Another thing that we need to take into consideration on this as Christians.

1Co 8:9  But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.

That is a good point. 

If you read the tattoo scriptures carefully, they seem to be relating to the worship of false gods and witchcraft.
People in the far east and other secluded places, to this day still place ritual/spiritual tattoos on their bodies. There are many in places such as Hawaii the south Pacific also doing this.
That makes the distinction in my understanding from a person doing that, and a person who has a heart with his wife and children's name on it for example.

John

Is this speaking of Christians or folks still in their sins out there in the world?

ollie

Here's my take on it...

      "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient; all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any." (Quoted from memory so if I botched...forgive!  :))

The O.T. Law forbade them.  We aren't under the Law, but under Grace.  However, we are under command to "...let not your good be evil spoken of." (Quote:Ditto)  To me, that's the biggest deterrant.  Personally, I'd like a tattoo.  Personally, I've got the same problem with tattoos that I have with piercings - painful needles!  It would HURT!  I'm opposed to pain.  Plus, I've got enough God given holes in me that I don't need to be adding anymore!  :D

However, what I may want, and what the image I may portray are two different things.  I have to ask myself, "What will the world associate you with if you do ___________?"  I have a real hard time finding things that the world would associate positively with tattoos and piercings.  I find myself justifying why I can, rather than proving why I can.  That is, I don't find any direct biblical "don'ts" herein for this age of Grace.  But I do find many biblical warnings about associating with a crowd I'm no longer a part of.

It may be "Lawful", but is it best for me, for my local body of believers, and for a lost and dying world that needs to see Jesus in me?  I'd have to say "No."  As I have.  And I don't have piercings or tattoo..ings anywhere.  My fear of pain helps a great deal too... ;D  But I have a bigger problem when I find myself justifying, rather than knowing.

Just a thought...

AMEN BROTHER! You just spoke volumes. For a person who is already a Christian, their living testimony that effects the lost and the saved around them must always be a high priority and a matter of prayer.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Ephesians 2:19-22 NASB  So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

First of all, ditto what Bronzesnake said. 

The quotes from Allinall:

Now, lets be honest, If someone gets a tattoo of a cross, what will the world associate that person with?  Or the example bronzesnake gave; a person who has a heart with his wife and children's name on it.  What will the world associate that person with?  It seems to me those things would invoke positive connotations. 

Even if they do invoke the negative, that associations should be quickly dispelled by our actions of love, anyway.   For example, if I am reading the Bible in public, that carries the risk of the world labeling me as hypocritical and self-righteous.  We all get pushed into that association from the world simply by going to church! 

If you ask me, it is summed up in this: 
Now, perhaps the question is; "Can a tattoo be for the glory of God?"

Why would you mar the temple, of God with a tatoo? Are we not told. 1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own,

To me this means after becoming a Christian we are not to mar, our bodies as they are the temple of God.

OK, here's a situation I find myself in right now.

Many of my friends here know I used to be involved with bikers. I was not ever, a member, but I lived with them, and some of them are still good friends today.
Some of them love Jesus today.

I have a couple of tattoos. One is a heart with a banner running through it with my wife, Dawn's name on it.
I did that one myself. It's small, and on the top of my wrist.

I got my first one when I was 15 years old. It's another small one - a black rose on my upper arm, on mid shoulder.
Blackrose was my stage name when I was in a band.

The second one I got is a nightmare! I was fifteen, and living with some bikers. These guys were serious!
You would immediately know the name if I divulged it, but I'm not about to do that.
It is a large tattoo. If you cut a softball, baseball in half and laid it on your arm, that's about the area it covers...maybe not quite that big, but close.

It says "Death Before Dishonour" and it is a mess! I was living with a woman back then also, and she did the tattoo while under the influence of drugs and booze, as I was at the time.
She had never done one before, and without a doubt, never did one after!
It's a mixture of capitol and lower case letters, and very crooked.

It is a constant source of embarrassment, and it definitely gives the wrong impression!
I have frightened off many nurses in hospital. Nurses are usually very pleasant, and warm people, but as soon as they take my shirt off to get I.V.'s and stuff going, they get this look on their faces, and most of the time they look frightened. I am constantly reassuring these beautiful women that I am a changed man, who loves Jesus, but the stain remains!

I recently contacted one of the most prestigious tattoo artists in Ontario, and asked if he would be willing to do a charity job, because I could never afford his work at $150.00 per hour!
Covering up a tattoo takes a lot of skill and imagination. I have been searching for an artists capable of doing the job for years, and I finally found one, so I am going in this coming fall, and Cory is going to do a Christian theme cover up, and it will be amazing!

I wish I never got any tattoos, but I was young and wild! After the job is done, people won't look at me with caution on their faces, they will probably ask "are you Christian?" "is that stuff real?" and that's OK with me.

John

Believe it or not, my friend, you've just proven my point!   :)  Part of the world would relate very well to a believer having a cross tattoo.  Another part, would not.  Part of the body of believers each of us would belong to would react positively to such a tattoo.  Other parts, would not, and in fact, may view that as complete and utter sin.  Would it be?  Scripturally, I don't see that it would be.  It would be "Lawful." But, if those who don't see it that way are harmed by it...why would I want to have one?  I have such members in my local assembly.  I have others that would think it was great!  But...(my paraphrase) "if eating meat causes my brother to offend, I will eat no meat."  I think the key here is the association of which we are speaking.  The negative connotation goes without saying where conservative brethren are concerned.  But consider this...

"And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:
   
   "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
   
 "Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.

   "Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

 "Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.

   "But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
   
 "Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry.

   "Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

 "Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets."

Luke 6:20-26

I read this today.  The part that stuck out to me is the part I underlined.  "Positve connotation?"  For me, personally, this goes back to my "justification" of my wants, rather than my proof of it being best for me, and for others in light of Christ.  Again, this is just my thoughts.   :)


True.  Here's one thing that I'll never forget.  My wife's uncle was a Christian biker.  He'd had his past of sin and all, but had been gloriously saved.  He, and many of his friends knew Christ as their Savior.  Each kept the leather and long hair.  However, standing next to a biker at her uncle's funeral, in his leather, with his long, but very well kept hair and beard, was a man that I knew, without speaking too, knew Christ.  He smiled throughout the entire service.  Not smuggly, but joyfully.  He spoke to me before we left.  Needless to say, his words magnified what I already knew to be true.  We were brothers in Christ.  Here's my point: to some, due to weakness, or bias, or prejudice, he'd have been a worthless sinner.  To me, he was the epidemy of the believer.  I went to a very conservative church at the time.  He wouldn't have fit in to that local assembly.  But, I could see more of Christ in him than in many of the deacons of that church.   :)

Hello Bronzesnake,

Brother John, all Christians have things in their earlier lives that they aren't proud of. I would have to quickly say that the invisible things are absolutely the worst. Now we belong to JESUS, and the Blood of JESUS on the Cross has washed our sins away as if they never happened. All Christians have memories of bad things, and they simply add to our joy when we give thanks for who we are now in JESUS. We were all in misery under the curse of sin and death, but JESUS has rescued us and set us free from the bondage of sin.

There are ONLY two kinds of people: those who belong to JESUS and those who don't. We should all rejoice and give thanks that there is NO condemnation for those who belong to JESUS. We have been bought, delivered, and are possessions of JESUS CHRIST forever! No power in the universe can pluck us out of HIS MIGHTY HANDS! Now we can simply kneel at the feet of JESUS and say thank you.


Love In Christ,
Tom

John 10:27-28 NASB  "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.

Amen Tom!

 Our inner secrets are our own, and we are forgiven of all of our sins through His precious blood.
Once we are forgiven, the sin stain is gone!

 My stain remains as a constant reminder of the life I used to live. I could handle that if it weren't for the negative outlook this tattoo has. The tattoo is worn by a very specific outlaw bike club, and a lot of people know it. They mistakeinly believe I am associated with that, and I don't want that in my life anymore. I will get it covered.

I checked into lazer surgery first because I don't want anymore tattoos, but it's $500.00 a session, and the doctor told me it would take several sessions to remove it, so I'm stuck with having it covered with a Christian tattoo.

John

Bronzesnake,

Brother John, I understand completely. I just wanted to tell you that God knows your heart, and we know your heart also. I have several friends who made similar decisions, and one even had some kind of special surgery to remove one.

Let me tell you a quick story that is the complete truth. Do you remember the children's television show "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood" where he opened the show by singing something like "It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood..........". Did you ever notice that Mr. Rogers always wore long sleeve shirts and sweaters? Did you also know that Mr. Rogers was an ordained minister? Did you also know that Mr. Rogers was a Navy Seal who served in two wars and had tattoos all over him? That was the reason why he always wore long sleeve shirts and sweaters. He didn't want the tattoos to scare the children or hurt his ministry.

Brother John, we will love you either way.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Psalms 130:5 NASB  I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope.

Amen. Tatoos do not stop God's love and it should have no affect on ours either.

Brothers, I just want to say this; there are sooo many beautiful Christians who do have tatoos, more than likely got them before comming to the Lord. However, once Jesus is in your heart, His light shines through so brightly that the tatoos may be invisible to others. I guess what I am trying to say is when Jesus is in your heart, His glory shines on you.
I remember one day I was in quite a lot of pain, and we were going to Jacksonville for a doctor appointment, that's a 2 and a half hour drive. Yet all the way there I just kept praying and asking God to not let my husband see the pain reflecting in my face, he can always tell when I am in pain just by looking at my face. I didn't want him to be worried about me as he drove. Well we made it to Jacksonville and got there early enough for me to be able to see my 2 daughters. Well to my surprise they both said the same thing when they saw me and I didn't see them both at the same time.  they both said "Wow mom, your face is glowing". I was taken by surprise when my husband told me that he had no idea that I had been in such pain. 
So you see brother it's not what's on the outside it's what's on the inside that counts.  :D

 :) Amen Brother!  :)

Thank you my friends. You are all right, there's no disputing it, and I wouldn't even try.
This tattoo really, really bothers me. Not because I don't believe God loves me anyway I am, I know God loves me, and I understand we are changed the moment we accept the King into our lives.

I left an awful, dark and depraved life behind me many years ago, and this darn tattoo is a constant reminder of the life I used to live. And as much as we all know that it's what's on this inside that counts, we are not gullable enough to think we are not judged by appearances. People look at that tattoo and they immediately get the wrong impression of me. I'm tired of constantly having to reassure people, or cover myself up on hot days. There are times when I won't go swimming at the lake with my kids because I have to take my shirt off...not all the time, but there have been times like that.

I want it gone, and the only way I can do that is to get it covered with something that honours Jesus, and not satan.

I really am blessed to have such wonderful brothers and sisters who genuinely do care about me as much as I care about them.

God Bless you all! :D

John

Brother John, what you did before you were a Christian is different then now. Jesus forgave you when you came to Him. I call you brother and I also call you a friend, cause you are one. Whats past doesn't effect what you are now brother. You are and I say it out loud, a BROTHER IN CHRIST! Nothing more needs to be said brother.

Resting in the hands, of the Lord.
Bob

Matthew 18:4 Whoever will humble himself therefore and become like this little child [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving] is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Thanks Tom, you're too good to me my brother! :D

John

I addressed how this scripture was taken out of context earlier.  Please read the surrounding passages and you will find it is referring to sexual immorality.

Back to Allinall  (by the way, I was not arguing with Allinall, forgive me if it seemed that way.  I was simply pointing out the other side to be considered)  :

There are times when we must protect our bretheren, such as in 1 Corinthians 10:23-33, and there are are times when we must teach our brethren, such as Matthew 12: 1-14, and 15:1-20.  It is in the second passage that we also find a cross reference to Isaiah 29:13:   

Now, bronzesnake spoke of his tattoo, yet so many people have replied with encouragemnet, saying that it is his spirit that is important, not his appearance nor his past....  If you ask me, John is a living testament to this truth! 

I guess what I am trying to say is it is up to God.  If God says, "Get a tattoo, because I can use it for my glory,"  then get a tattoo.  However, if God says, "Do not get a tattoo; it will not be for my glory," then do not get a tattoo.  It is that simple. 

I ask again,  Can a tattoo be for the glory of God?   Let us say Mister Rogers suddenly got his arms exposed and it caused his entire parish to stumble.  However, because of Mister Roger's spirit, he is able to pick them back up, which also causes his parish to grow so they will not stumble the next time they see a tattoo.

If we see a christian getting a tattoo and it causes us to stumble, it is us who is at fault, because we have forsaken God's truth for our own misdirection.  As Paul said,     Think about it, did Jesus rebuke the disciples when they were caught eating with unwashed hands, or did he rebuke the pharisees who brought it up?  What would Jesus say to me if I pointed at a man with a tattoo and said "That man is wrong because he will cause others to stumble?" 

It is up to me to ensure I do not stumble, and to do that I must immerse myself in truth.  Yes, Paul will refuse food for my sake, and we all should do likewise.  However, when we find ourselves on the other side, saying things like "No Christian should ever get a tattoo," then it is ourselves we are putting in danger.

Yep................I have tattoo's and I am getting more. I also asked pastor about the OT passage about "do not tattoo your bodies"


He told me that in the OT times the jews were so tempted by every riligion that passed by that God had to set forth clear rules to keep them from being tempted by the newest thing. Tattooing was a sign of some religion or other back then (maybe even now) and they were forbiden to do it.

Mayn times I have asked questions that I see about the OT laws. Most times pastor sets me straight by explaining how the "times" really had to dictate the laws and rules.

Saved by grace..........


the next tattoo is a shield with Eph 6:13-18 writen on it................................no one would know I have tattoos anyhow. They are not for advertisement. They have signifigance to me in specific times in my life.

Never had one untill my marriage went to pieces and GOD FIXED IT THROUGH PRAYER!!! I tried and failed. Gave all to God and He fixed it. I just prayed.

My wife and I went together and got some ink done. I have never been happier or more thankfull to the one true and loveing God for his intervention. My wife has since come into her own relationship with Christ.


My $ .02

When I get to Heaven..........................I'll ask Him what he ment. I see no real difinitive scripture in the post Christ world to say I should not. I am not doing it to be like anyone else, or even to be different. Like I said..............you can't see them.


Body piercing saved my life.......................3 nails and the love a wonderfull merciful God

Yes, it is possible to get them lazered off, but it would cost thousands of dollars, so I'm getting one of the best in Canada to cover it up with a Christian tattoo.

John

Thats what I would do! ;D

If I am ever at the beach........then they all know what I believe ;D That is if I am not too shy and actually take the T-shirt off. It's not the tattoo I am shy about. I show that to anyone who askes (It's on my back)

I don't believe we've officially said hello my friend...so...hello! :D

John

Hello,

Guess you are right.......we havent

Gary

Well, I have a tattoo, and I'd much rather have one than going around and wearing something like this -

My cousin (whom I love to make fun of......tattooed freak...... ;D......lets not forget I have tattoo's) Has many tattos that depict his faith.

It starts alot of discussion with those who normally would not speak to Non-tattoed people and deffinatly wouldn't set foot in a church.

This too is used by God to "get the word out"

don't you think?

I have a few tattoos i got before i was saved. Would i get them now, knowing what i know? Nope!

God wants me to treat my body with the upmost respect. However, i have nothing agaisnt Christians with tattoos.
Here's a though---to the secular world, perception is realitly. How does the world precieve people with lots of tattoos. Or even one big one? Christians need to be above reproach.

I agree to an extent.

Our actions must show the world our fruit. Good tree....good fruit. Mt 7:15-20

this passage show Christ telling us to beware the the false prophets that come in sheeps clothing.

Show that even those trees that appear good looking can bear bad fruit.

Says nothing about what the good tree looks like, but does say to be wary of the false and you will recognize them by their fruit.

Appears to me that Christ wants us to simply consider the actions of the person...........not what they look like. This would include tattos and piercings.

Christ was pierced for our transgressions.

Body piercing saved my life ;D

I agree with the earlier statment, we are splitting hairs here.

Judge not lest ye be judged.......

Thus by their fruit you will recognise them.

I never knew the tattoed guy at church, untill I talked to him. We have alot in common and became close friends. Later I found out he is my cousin. I never knew him, but I do now. ;)

I understand some are turned off by tattoo's and piercins, but they can be an access to otherwise unapprochable people that also need Christ.

I used to race motocross, many people thought I was insane to try it at 27 years old (this was a few years back now ;D) but I met some very interesting people, I also noticed that unless you raced.....many of them wouldn't talk to you. There is a bond formed by those with similar experiance. A commoradary.

Don't we need all these trees to reach the lost sill searching for Christ?

Instead of finding a physical appearance, be it a deformity, disability, tatto, piercing, or multi colored hair, to discuss how we as believers should do things, how about using every unique appearance, ability, and "fruit" to reach the lost.

I have chin hairs, c-section scar from one side to the other, my eyes hang, I look like the michelin man (although, he won the beauty contest last year), but you know...God loves me anyway! Now, if it is a vulgar tattoo, then I agree--it shouldn't be there. But, a tatoo of a dolphin, or something about faith, or anything like that..if you want to sit there while someone sticks needles into you and go through all that pain, go for it. God loves you because you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Now, on the other hand--pierced tongues, noses and other "areas that are interesting"..that is another topic all together! Ewwww....

God Bless!

 :)    I believe that in this passage god is saying that we aren't to get tattoos that are evil or have ot do with the dead.  I see nothing wrong in getting tattoos that are appropiate.  I know a guy who uses his tattoos are a form of ministry.  He is reaching people that you and I may not  be able to reach.  I say if you want to get a tattoo then do it with wisdom! 8)

I am new to this Forum. But not new to following Christ.

Revelation 19:16 speaks of a Name written on His Thigh. King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

The greatest danger would be someone who felt they could not come to Christ because of a tattoo.

Maybe instead of covering a tattoo, a small note beside one. "His grace is sufficient to cover all my sins, and this tattoo also."

"Those who come unto Me, I will in no wise cast out." That would cover prior and later tattoos.

Ken

At the time this was written there were other religions that practiced tattooing to symbolize their faith. God knew the weakness of Israel to follow just about any new and wonderfull thing that came by so this was to protect them form other belieifs, and worship of other Gods.

Its not hard to see that Israel was easily swayed at the time ;)

Et tu Brutis?



I have been judged, condemned, misunderstood, and plain rejected by many of my "brothers and
sisters" simply because I did not fit into their ideal representation of what a "christian" should look like!

Untill recently I had a ponytail that reached almost to my belt, a full beard, and oh yeah I have a
dreaded, terrible, tattoo....oooooh!

You would be amazed how many church members were trying to "drag"me to the alters. They would
tell me how glad they were that I had come to their church to hear the new evangelist!
This was usually said as their eyes were looking over my bike, my leathers, and my ...oooooh tattoos!

Can you even begin to imagine their surprize when the evangelist they were bragging about turned out
to be me?!?

When will we learn in the churches that God does not look on the outward appearances, but upon the
heart.Rev. 3:20  Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice I will come in and sup
with him.

It does not matter if the person setting on my church bench is dressed punk, with spiked hair, dressed
gothic with black eye shadow and nails, or dressed in a 500.00 dollar business suit I will show each of
them the same fullfilling love of Jesus.

Too often we forget , once we have been saved for a while, where we have come from..The difference
between a sinner and a saint is really very basic--- A saint is a sinner saved by grace!

No big mystery, no great ritual. Salvation by the shed blood of Jesus, repentance of sin, and acceptance
of the grace of God. Suddenly that biker is a preacher, that punk rocker is a sunday school superintendant,
and that gothic teen is the new youth pastor.

Stop looking with man's eyes, and start to look with the eyes of God, you will see thing in a different
lighjt when we look through the crimpson colored glassed call the blood of calvary!


respectfully yours in Yeshua:

ravenloche

Et tu Brutis? ???[





.






I understand some are turned off by tattoo's and piercins, but they can be an access to otherwise unapprochable people that also need Christ.



I have been judged, condemned, misunderstood, and plain rejected by many of my "brothers and
sisters" simply because I did not fit into their ideal representation of what a "christian" should look like!

Untill recently I had a ponytail that reached almost to my belt, a full beard, and oh yeah I have a
dreaded, terrible, tattoo....oooooh!

You would be amazed how many church members were trying to "drag"me to the alters. They would
tell me how glad they were that I had come to their church to hear the new evangelist!
This was usually said as their eyes were looking over my bike, my leathers, and my ...oooooh tattoos!

Can you even begin to imagine their surprize when the evangelist they were bragging about turned out
to be me?!?

When will we learn in the churches that God does not look on the outward appearances, but upon the
heart.Rev. 3:20  Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice I will come in and sup
with him.

It does not matter if the person setting on my church bench is dressed punk, with spiked hair, dressed
gothic with black eye shadow and nails, or dressed in a 500.00 dollar business suit I will show each of
them the same fullfilling love of Jesus.

Too often we forget , once we have been saved for a while, where we have come from..The difference
between a sinner and a saint is really very basic--- A saint is a sinner saved by grace!

No big mystery, no great ritual. Salvation by the shed blood of Jesus, repentance of sin, and acceptance
of the grace of God. Suddenly that biker is a preacher, that punk rocker is a sunday school superintendant,
and that gothic teen is the new youth pastor.

Stop looking with man's eyes, and start to look with the eyes of God, you will see thing in a different
lighjt when we look through the crimpson colored glassed call the blood of calvary!


respectfully yours in Yeshua:

ravenloche ???

WOW, now That statement really brings back some OLD memories!
The very first time I ever preached was in a Free Will Baptist Church in Arkansas, I took my text from 1st Samuel 16 verse 7 Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart.

My entire message consisted of these words: 'No Matter what you like, even if you have WARTS on your face God still loves you and God will still accept you!

I was 17 years old.

My son and daughter in law both have tattoos, I love them both, and I KNOW Jesus loves them both.

My son plays drums in a Christian band, and my daughter in law is the leader of a Christian drama team in their church.

AND I am considering getting a tattoo myself....  ;D

Hi ETE, Welcome to Christians Unite. That is a truthful and awesome statement.

Hello EndTimeEvangelist,

I see this is your first post, so WELCOME!


As you can see, there are varying opinions on this topic, but we have managed to discuss it in peace for the most part. I think that I'll just give thanks that God's children will be spending eternity with JESUS, and we will be given glorified bodies at His appointed time.

I look forward to reading your posts and having fellowship with you.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Psalms 23:3 NASB  He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.

I think when we are being Judged and they are searching for our names in the book of life, They will be looking at our activity and moral that took place on earth and most importantly our personal relationship with Christ.

Leviticus 19:28. It is okay to have a tattoo if you are saved, but not to get 1 afterwards. There are several people in the congregation of the church I go to that have tattoos and they are good friends and people. But without talking to them about tattoos they would tell you themselves that they are wrong. It is true that God loves you anyway, but when you break one of His hundreds of commandments, you are in sin.

Hi The_Shepherds_Sheep,

Welcome to Christians Unite. Do you keep all of the hundreds of commandments? Are you a law keeper?

Ask yourself that for I quote from the Bible," Take the log out of your eye before you attempt to take the speck out of your brothers eye." I try my best to do according to His will. And I will be the first to say," No." But the subject of this forum is tattoos and if they are right, not if I am in sin or not, and I once again give you scripture Leviticus 19:28.

I see that you seem afraid to answer my question.

I ask you again do you believe that you keep all the laws?

Read mine again, I answered your question. Leviticus 19:28.

Yes I see that you added that in after I asked you again.

:-* Hey, I think that tattoos are a good way to witness to people.  I think that when the Bible talks about not getting Tattoos it more has to do with that day and time.  Back then getting tattoos were a type idol worship.  I think it all depends on the motives of your heart.  If you are doing it to be rebellious or something then yes it is a sin and you shouldn't do it.  I think you shouldn't get tattoos because of the danger of getting infections and things.  Those are my thoughts.  :D

What I love about my blessed Saviour is that He accepted me as I was and didn't expect perfection. I don't have and don't want any tattoos or piercings, but to each their own on that. I do agree that we should respect the temple of God (our body) and not deface it, but I don't get too concerned about what people do to their bodies, although I can't understand some things people do to themselves.

God says to come  to Him as you are, and He will make any necessary changes. However, He is more concerned with our hearts than with our body.

It is OK to have tattoo if you had tattoo already before you came to Christ.  It is OK to have them afterwards too!  But when you witness to people they notice everything. It might be OK to some you witness to but it might not be OK to others.  But as a Christian I love you just the way you are! ;)

Hi HisJoy,

It's great to see you posting here.

You made an excellent point. Do those things that we do effect our witness and prevent that witness from being effective? Does our actions cause baby Christians to stumble? This is something that we must consider in all that we do or say.

About two years ago I felt the need to go to a different church temporarily.  After the service I was the first one at the "coffee hour".  As I was getting my refreshment, I spotted an empty sofa and decided I would sit there.  After getting my cookies, I headed for the sofa and noticed that a young couple and their son were now sitting there.  I sat with them and after just a couple of minutes, the husband told me that he was Jewish and that he and his wife (Gentile) were visiting this Baptist church in order to try to save their marriage.

He also said that they had already "tried" going to the temple but he had tatoos and they were forbidden by Judaism.  I told him that I had done some volunteer ministry to Jewish people and explained the Messianic prophecies and about Christ being our Savior/Messiah to him.  He was very happy to hear that he was accepted (tatoos and all)....and they were going to start Sunday School the following Sunday.  :)

WOW... The LORD sure does work in mysterious ways.....  I LOVE stories like this!

You going to that different church 'temporarily' and that Jewish family being there and you helping them.... HIS plan indeed! 

(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b207/tinabaran/bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb.jpg)

Yes, it was amazing to me as well!  :)