What Does the Bible Say About Tattoos?
1) Direct answer
A Christian should not get tattoos. The Bible speaks against marking the body, and calls us to keep our bodies holy unto the Lord.
2) Scriptural explanation
- Leviticus 19:28 says, “You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.” God tied His Name to that command—“I am the LORD”—showing it is about honoring Him with your body.
- Deuteronomy 14:1 warns God’s people not to cut themselves like the nations around them. The principle is separation from heathen customs.
- 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 says your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost; you are not your own; therefore glorify God in your body. The temple is not for carving and branding; it is for His presence.
- Romans 12:1–2 calls us to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, and not be conformed to this world. Tattoos are a fashion of the world; the Spirit leads us away from that conformity.
- 1 Peter 3:3–4 and 1 Timothy 2:9 teach that adornment should be modest and inward, not outward displays. God is after the heart, and the life shows it.
- Galatians 6:17—Paul’s “marks of the Lord Jesus” were sufferings for the gospel, not ink on the skin.
Now notice: some try to justify tattoos by pointing to Revelation 19:16—“a name written on His vesture and on His thigh.” The Bible says it’s on His vesture—His garment. That is not a tattoo; it is a royal title displayed, not flesh marked.
3) Simple clarifying logic
- If your body is the Lord’s house, would you spray-paint the walls of His temple? You see, ownership decides what is done to the property. He bought you with a price; we honor His purchase by keeping the temple clean.
- Grace doesn’t lower the standard; it writes the law on the heart. The Spirit leads us away from the world’s marks, not into them.
4) Short reinforcement
If you already have tattoos, bring your life to Christ, ask forgiveness, and don’t add any more. The blood of Jesus cleanses; live set apart from now on. The Bible’s path is clear: glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.