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Writer's pictureBible Brian

What do my tattoos mean to you?


One of the most frustrating things about apologetics is that all too often, the things unbelievers talk about aren't the things hindering them from coming to faith. A personal example for me is that I am often called out for "hypocrisy", because while I have tattoos, Leviticus 19:28, apparently, tells me that's a sin.


Now, the first issue here is that Leviticus 19:28 does not actually define tattoos as a sin. It should come as no surprise that Christians tend to know scripture better than non-Christians. Thus, we know, for example, that while the law can give us moral principles, it was never an immutable and universal standard to apply to all nations for all time.


Think of it this way: In Genesis 2:16, we read "...Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;". Is this permission for all people, at all times, to eat from every tree in the now long-destroyed Garden of Eden? No. The "you" matters. So, who is God telling "You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you:..."? Well, when you consider that the New Testament explicitly tells us the Old Testament Law no longer applies, we can say conclusively that this law was never intended to stop me, as a Christian, from getting tattoos to represent my very much alive Lord and Savior.


So what this really shows is not that I don't believe the Bible, but that these unbelievers don't understand the Bible. But I'm willing to bet that even after this has been explained to them, no unbeliever will be any closer to confessing Christ. Why? Because it's not my tattoos, nor even any actual hypocrisy that, as 1 John 1:8-10 says I must, I will confess I do partake in. My tattoos, even for those who do not know the Bible well enough to know there's nothing wrong with them, are not the issue.


I would even be willing, if it would save just one soul, to have them removed. I would, of course, need some kind of assurance. They're not gloves you can just put on and take off in 5 seconds, so obviously I'd be concerned that after the removal, the person in question might run away cackling as if they'd just convinced me to eat a bug. But if a person is willing to stake their integrity and reputation on my tattoos, I'd happily remove them.


But my guess is, no one will ever rise to that challenge. Those who challenge "hypocritical" tattooed Christians have a bigger problem than just not understanding the Bible. They're not even remotely bothered by Christians having tattoos, they're just using that as an excuse. Well, consider this me calling them out. If you're one of those unbelievers who looks at a Christian and says "your tattoos are why I won't convert", drop the act and cut to the chase. What's really stopping you from coming to faith? Let's talk about that. We'll talk about the stuff that doesn't matter to you as much once we've dealt with the stuff that does.

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