One crucial idea is that our bodies are the Holy Spirit’s temples (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). As a result, we ought to treat them with honor and respect.
This means we shouldn’t do anything that could endanger or otherwise pollute our bodies.
We shouldn’t adopt the practices of the world (Romans 12:2). While getting a tattoo or piercing may be considered culturally acceptable in some situations; we should be careful not to copy other people’s behavior.
Instead, we should consider whether these actions align with our Christian beliefs and principles.
Christian parents who talk to their kids about these problems may wonder if they truly matter. Are these issues simply concerns of taste, or do they include right and wrong? What is written in the Bible? Does it even address these issues? In responding to these inquiries, we wish to remain impartial.
We don’t want to misinterpret the Bible in any manner or draw unjustified conclusions. Neither is it our intention to degrade or humiliate anyone. We want to look at this issue in the context of pertinent Bible verses and then come to proper conclusions based on what God says about it.
Bible Verses About Tattoos And Piercings
1. Leviticus 19:28
You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord.
2. 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.
3. 1 Timothy 2:9
Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire,
4. Deuteronomy 14:1
“You are the sons of the Lord your God. You shall not cut yourselves or make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead.
5. 1 Corinthians 6:19
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,
6. 1 Corinthians 3:17
If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
7. Ezekiel 16:12
And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.
8. Isaiah 49:16
Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.
9. 1 Corinthians 10:23
“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.
10. 1 Corinthians 6:13
“Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
11. 1 Corinthians 3:16
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
12. 1 Corinthians 15:44
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
13. Isaiah 3:18-23
In that day the Lord will take away the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents; the pendants, the bracelets, and the scarves; the headdresses, the armlets, the sashes, the perfume boxes, and the amulets; the signet rings and nose rings; the festal robes, the mantles, the cloaks, and the handbags; …
14. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
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.
15. Romans 12:1
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
16. 1 Peter 3:3-4
Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.
17. Leviticus 19:19
“You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind. You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor shall you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material.
18. Exodus 32:2-3
So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron.
19. Romans 10:4
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
20. John 2:21
But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
21. 1 John 4:8
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
22. Colossians 3:5
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
23. Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
24. Matthew 24:12
And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.
25. Leviticus 21:5
They shall not make bald patches on their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuts on their body.
26. Leviticus 19:27
You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard.
27. Leviticus 19:4
Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God.
28. Isaiah 3:16-24
The Lord said: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with outstretched necks, glancing wantonly with their eyes, mincing along as they go, tinkling with their feet, therefore the Lord will strike with a scab the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will lay bare their secret parts. In that day the Lord will take away the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents; the pendants, the bracelets, and the scarves; the headdresses, the armlets, the sashes, the perfume boxes, and the amulets; ..
Bible Verses about Tattoos (KJV)
29. Leviticus 19:28
You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord.
30. 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.
31. Ephesians 5:10
And try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.
32. Deuteronomy 14:1
“You are the sons of the Lord your God. You shall not cut yourselves or make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead.
33. Jude 1:8
Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones.
34. Leviticus 21:5
They shall not make bald patches on their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuts on their body.
35. Leviticus 19:4
Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God.
36. 1 Corinthians 6:20
For you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
37. Colossians 3:5
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
What Does the Bible Say About Tattoos in Leviticus
Christians believe tattoos are forbidden based on the Old Testament law in Leviticus 19:28, which says, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.”
It is important to note that the context of this verse is related to pagan mourning practices and idolatry.
Some Christians interpret this as a commandment against tattoos, while others believe it is no longer relevant since Jesus fulfilled the law and the Old Testament law does not apply to Christians today.
Getting a tattoo is a personal decision for Christians to make. It is essential to consider the potential impact on one’s own beliefs, as well as the potential impact on others.
Is Tattoo a Sin in the Bible?
Getting a tattoo is not a sin; obtaining one won’t prohibit you from going to heaven once you die. We think it also has to do with the fact that getting a tattoo on oneself is not sinful or harmful to anyone else.
Notwithstanding what Christianity teaches, getting a tattoo on your body does not constitute committing any crimes of stealing, disobedience to our loved ones, or murder.
The Old Testament verse most likely alludes to refraining from doing what that particular tribe does to memorialize a deceased member.
Perhaps it was written so that engaging in such rites would instill in people a similar sense of pride, cause them to turn away from the Law of Moses as it is, and elevate their paganism above religion.
Yet, if this idea is misread and comprehended, it may give rise to the notion that getting a tattoo is also a sin for Christians, raising concerns about going to hell after death.