Did You Ever Preach On The Subject Tattoos

[swathdiver]

I know of no Scripture which specifically condemns tatoos per se although I would generally advise against them.  The context of the Mosaic ordinance was to separate themselves from pagan religious practices.  This is the immediately preceding verse:   

 

Lev 19:27   Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.

Outside of that particular injunction, there is simply no Scripture whatsoever which forbids tatooing.   

 

I know of no Scripture which specifically condemns tatoos per se although I would generally advise against them.  The context of the Mosaic ordinance was to separate themselves from pagan religious practices.  This is the immediately preceding verse:   

 

Lev 19:27   Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.

Outside of that particular injunction, there is simply no Scripture whatsoever which forbids tatooing.   

 

You're one verse away from God's Word on tattoos, keep reading!

[Heir of Salvation]

You're one verse away from God's Word on tattoos, keep reading!

I have read it.  And what does it say? 

1.) Does it say, no man from any nation may at any time have any tatoos for any purpose?

OR...

2.) Does it forbid Hebrews from marking themselves in pagan ritual "for the dead".

While we might generally advise against tatooing, no passage of Scripture strictly-speaking forbids tatooing in and of itself.  We cannot preach as a rule what God has not commanded, and God never banned humanity from having tatoos. 

[Zed]

I know of one person* who got the words "Loved" and "Forgiven" (in Hebrew, I think) put on his arms to remind him that he was loved and forgiven. It saddened me, because I was aware of that verse in Leviticus which states God's opinion of "Printing on yourself".

 

 

As for me, I don't see the appeal of tatoos anyway. 

 

*I don't know him personally.

[John81]

Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost. We should not put graffiti on the temple.

[Heir of Salvation]

Paul is talking about one, and only one possible sin against the "Temple". 

1Cr 6:18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; [without meaning "outside- of"] but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
1Cr 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

To use that phrase to preach about anything other than fornication and strictly fornication alone is to misuse it.  Paul practically forbids us to use that to speak of any other topic in verse 18, to do so is to misuse the passages clearly stated intent.

 

There is simply no Scripture whatsoever which renders all tattooing (no matter how unwise it may be) as a sin. 

[John81]

Paul is talking about one, and only one possible sin against the "Temple". 

1Cr 6:18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; [without meaning "outside- of"] but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
1Cr 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

To use that phrase to preach about anything other than fornication and strictly fornication alone is to misuse it.  Paul practically forbids us to use that to speak of any other topic in verse 18, to do so is to misuse the passages clearly stated intent.

 

There is simply no Scripture whatsoever which renders all tattooing (no matter how unwise it may be) as a sin. 

Scripture doesn't specifically speak to many sins but the principles within Scripture apply.

[swathdiver]

I have read it.  And what does it say? 

1.) Does it say, no man from any nation may at any time have any tatoos for any purpose?

OR...

2.) Does it forbid Hebrews from marking themselves in pagan ritual "for the dead".

While we might generally advise against tatooing, no passage of Scripture strictly-speaking forbids tatooing in and of itself.  We cannot preach as a rule what God has not commanded, and God never banned humanity from having tatoos. 

 

Do you have and like your tattoos?  Are you for them?  The next verse which is God's Word, makes it pretty apparent that tattoos are a no no.  

[Heir of Salvation]

Scripture doesn't specifically speak to many sins but the principles within Scripture apply.

No, if Scripture doesn't "speak to it", than it isn't a sin. Scripture is the only objective standard by which we judge whether or not something IS a sin; if Scripture doesn't call it a sin, than no one has a right to claim that it is.  The way Leviticus 19:28 reads, letting your wife pierce her ears is indefensible because it is indeed a "cutting in the flesh", it creates an unnatural permanent scarring.  Why then, is it acceptable in Western IFB churches, but not a tattoo?  Because Independent Baptists have, in large part found one of them to be socially acceptable and the other they don't like.

 

Sin is not defined by what traditions of certain modern Baptists in a Western cultural setting in a specific historical timeframe like or don't like.  If God does not call it a sin, it isn't a sin. 

[Heir of Salvation]

Do you have and like your tattoos?  Are you for them?  The next verse which is God's Word, makes it pretty apparent that tattoos are a no no.

Does your wife have and like her ear-piercings?  Are you for them? The next verse which is God's Word, makes it pretty apparent that ear-piercing is a no no.
Lev 19:28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh
Do you have a peyot?....the previous verse makes it pretty clear that to mar or cut it is a no-no.
Lev 19:27 Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.

[Salyan]

No, if Scripture doesn't "speak to it", than it isn't a sin. Scripture is the only objective standard by which we judge whether or not something IS a sin; if Scripture doesn't call it a sin, than no one has a right to claim that it is.  

 

"If a man knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."

 

According to this verse, sin is not just failing to keep the Law. It is failing to do what one knows to be right. That puts the onus a little less on specifically mentioned issues, and a little more on our own conscience.

[Heir of Salvation]

"If a man knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."

 

According to this verse, sin is not just failing to keep the Law. It is failing to do what one knows to be right. That puts the onus a little less on specifically mentioned issues, and a little more on our own conscience.

How, other than the teaching of Scripture would you "know it to be right?"....

Appeal to Leviticus 19:28?

There is no argument that can be made that tattooing is a "sin" (in and of itself) which will not boil down to a circularity.

[Salyan]

I actually was not specifically referring to tattoos by that statement; just responding to the idea that something has to be specifically forbidden to be considered sinful. Such an idea does not allow for the application of Biblical principles and the use of the conscience and common sense that God gave us.

 

As far as applying this to the OP, IMO the consideration of principles such as separation from the world, not appearing to do evil, and not causing offense to other believers in matters of conscience are much stronger arguments than Leviticus in any case. 

[swathdiver]

HoS just can't bring himself or herself to type out or even acknowledge the entire verse, too bad.  Well, we can pray and let the Holy Spirit do the convicting. 

[Heir of Salvation]

HoS just can't bring himself or herself to type out or even acknowledge the entire verse, too bad.  Well, we can pray and let the Holy Spirit do the convicting. 

1.) I am using and specifically exegeting the Scripture itself and ONLY  The Scripture itself for my statements.  Taking them directly within their grammatico-historical context and applying it to mean precisely what they say without added opinion onto them.

2.) I see you have abandoned making your case further from the Scriptures themselves.  If you had a stronger Scriptural argument to make, then you would make it; but you won't because you cannot.  You may have an opinion, and that is fine.  But if you are preaching that tattooing is inherently sinful in all contexts, than you are adding commands to the Word of God that are merely traditions of men.   Good traditions of men perhaps, but not Biblical commands. 

3.) You have no intention of bothering to actually pray for a faceless, nameless internet persona whom you know nothing about concerning a non-topic.  No reason to suggest as much.  If you do, than you might look into better stewardship of your time.  Might I suggest meditating on whether your doctrines come from Scripture, or whether you read yours into them.

[Heir of Salvation]

I actually was not specifically referring to tattoos by that statement; just responding to the idea that something has to be specifically forbidden to be considered sinful. Such an idea does not allow for the application of Biblical principles and the use of the conscience and common sense that God gave us.
 
As far as applying this to the OP, IMO the consideration of principles such as separation from the world, not appearing to do evil, and not causing offense to other believers in matters of conscience are much stronger arguments than Leviticus in any case.

You make some good statements here.  There is plenty of room within Scripture to state a case wherein things which are not specifically forbidden are un-advised etc....I agree with you here.

As far as "appearing to do evil", I don't support the common understanding of having all Christian Liberty, however, being subject to the whims of people who insist on adding commands to God's word.  I take it you are appealing to mainly this passage:
1Th 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

If you are appealing to this passage to mean that a Christian cannot do what some-one else might consider "wrong" or a sin, even if it isn't a sin, than I believe you are miss-applying that verse.  Many people commonly do.  There isn't a thing in the Universe practically, that I can't dredge up SOME deranged group to insist is a "sin".  Do you chain yourself to refusing to drink Coca-Cola or drink coffee because Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons consider it evil?  That verse is talking about avoiding an "appearance" or "manifestation" of an evil or possible evil as a tactic to avoid sinning.  It tells us to avoid any area wherein sin will manifest itself or even likely manifest itself so that we do not stumble.  The word "appearance" is being understood in a manner in which the translators did not intend it to be understood.  That's what was meant by "appearance" to the mind of the translator 400 yrs. ago.

 

It doesn't mean:

"Brother and Sister gossip might see you at a movie Theatre and naturally assume the worst about you."  You see you "appear" to be doing something they (probably un-Scripturally) consider to be evil.  Let them.  That's what Pharisees do.