Tattoos have dated back even before the days of Jesus with their association to witchcraft and pagan symbolism. According to archeologists’ discovery, the tattoo markings was used by ancient people worshipping the idols.
Men and women, get tattoos to express their identity, memories, and values. Indeed, people put tattoos expressing feelings about their loved ones, a meaningful saying, or perhaps a song lyric on their bodies.
Whether people with tattoos will go to heaven remains contradictory, with different Christians having different perceptions about the matter.
The Evolvement of Christian About Tattoos
The number of people having tattoos has been increasing in the current years due to the following:
- Currently, the Christianity negative perception of tattoos has started to reduce over the current years.
- People may get tattoos to express their values, identity, and values.
- To get your favorite person’s face.
However, the question of whether people with tattoos will go to heaven remains disturbing among Christians around the globe. Read on to know some known facts about Christianity and tattoos.
Christian Believes About Going to Heaven
It is in some Christians hearts that having a tattoo is unholy. They believe that having a tattoo will prevent you from going to heaven. However, according to the Bible teachings, going to heaven is solely based on a people’s belief in Jesus Christ. People who believe that Christ died and rose for their sins will go to heaven regardless of whether they have tattoos.
What are the Bible Teachings About Tattoos
Some people consider having a tattoo a worldly thing. According to the Holy Bible, the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, but do people with tattoos see heaven? Here are some Bible teachings about tattoos.
“You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord” (ESV), has the only direct statement about tattoos in the Bible.Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.”
This is a warning to Christian by God not to indulge in the practices of the pagans and not necessarily prohibition wearing tattoos. Some Christians also believe that the verse was meant to prevent them from getting a tattoo, but it is not necessarily the case. The verse does not mention anything to do with tattoos; therefore, there is no way it can be connected to prohibiting Christian from getting a tattoo.
From this verse, God demanded that His children be different from pagans reminding them in the same verse, “I am the Lord.” Since the Israelites belonged to God, they should not bear false gods on their bodies.
They were His workmanship and should not bear the name of a false god on their bodies. Since believers of the New Testament do not rely solely on the Mosaic Law, Christians are free to get a tattoo and remain philosophical.
According to Bible scholars, these instructions refer to the people mourning the rituals that are mostly common to pagans at the time of Moses. It is so because forcing feelings was common when mourning for the dead of the pagans in the ancient world. To cause pain, pagans were cutting themselves to increase physical pain and sorrow.
Therefore, he directed the statement because God didn’t want the Israelites to adopt the pagan view of death and mimic the unholy practices.
Scholars believe that people offered blood to the pagan gods when they cut themselves. The scholars believe that cutting the skin is not the essential part of the instruction because, according to Leviticus, the most concern is the implication of the blood as the most crucial part.
According to a good number of scholars, tattoos can be cutting the skin or perhaps painting the skin. If the verse could be used to refer to modern-day tattooing, it should also apply to other ways of people modifying their bodies, like piercing and perhaps teeth whitening, which is not believed as unholy.
MORE:
- Woodpecker Symbolism
- What Is Grace
- What is Guided Meditation
- Jehovah Jireh Meaning In Hebrew Bible
- Leviathan True Meaning
Reasons Why People Believe that Tattoos are Worldly
Several Christians agree that Leviticus 19:28 doesn’t forbid people from getting modern-day tattoos as long as their motivation doesn’t concern the ancient pagan mourning rituals. However, they still believe that getting a tattoo is worldly.
Christians believe that the term worldly is that it is associated with a value system that is secular and ungodly. A good number of christians have developed some arguments about tattoos.
Christians believe that having a tattoo is an alteration of the image of God. In the first chapter of Genesis, verse 26, “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky.” Therefore, Christians use this sentence to prove that tattoos are against God’s will to be like Him.
Believers should not tattoo their bodies because it goes against God’s creation. However, this might not be reasonable because having a tattoo would be similar to having a haircut. Getting a tattoo tends to go against God’s will for some Christians, but it is unreasonable because people still get to do other things that are not reasonable.
Do Tattoos Violate your Body as a Temple
Christians argue that people should not wear tattoos because their bodies are holy temples. It is our body where the Holy Spirit resides. According to 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.” The verse has teachings on why christians should follow a particular path of morality because when you indulge in immoral sexual relationships, you disrespect your body as a temple.
Conclusion
The teachings of 1 Corinthians 6;19-20 is that our body is a temple of the holy spirit. We should not mark our bodies with tattoos because they can move us away from Biblical teachings. However, since christians do not believe in piercing as a sin, tattooing is similar to piercing, and therefore it should not be considered a to prevent one from going to heaven.
MORE:
- Seven Deadly Sins
- Spiritual Meaning Behind Broken Blood Vessel
- Positive Affirmations
- What Happens Before & After You Die
- What Is A Mantra