What Does the Bible Say About Tattoos? 

Pastor Chad just rocked the boat for many with this teaching 😅"Context Matters!" The Father does ALL things well. He gave us Jesus! He has freed us if we accept it! ❤TY Lord for the message from your servant.

Beautiful ❤ I told my grown children, choose wisely in your freedom. Do all things for the glory of God. If you choose to decorate your temples, do so with the glory of God in mind. 🕊️

Real world teaching. Thank you for sticking to Scripture and context, context, context. I have several tatoos and do not struggle with it, but I know several Christians that do. Most peopke that condemn tatoos have body modifications like pierced ears or are circumstanced, etc. Godspeed and God's peace be with you.

Thank you so much for this. It gave me peace.

That was some excellent teaching. Really appreciate you Chad.

Aside from the truth just presented, I so appreciate the brief lesson & snapshot of Hermeneutical Considerations when interpreting God's Word. THANKS CHAD! Context is king!

Great teaching, dear Chad❤🙏🏽!!!

I am so grateful for your ministering heart. God has blessed you and you are a blessing 🙏 to us! Love you and peace be with you.

This Video has been very helpful. Thank you very much!

Wisdom! Thank you!

If people of the 'world' tattoo, they mostly do, how then can the church be different in that regard?

This message gives me peace. Thank you, Pastor Chad, and thank the Father too! I was born and raised in China in a Christian family, and I have several tattoos. So, hopefully, you all can imagine the dual pressure from Chinese culture of 'your body is from your parents' and the interpretation of verses in the Old Testament. I was condemned many times, and I even condemned myself for having tattoos for a very long time. I have to wear long sleeves in the summer to cover my tattoos during Sunday services. This is relieving, and thank you again, Pastor Chad, and thank you, Lord, for letting me receive this message from your servant.

A lot of people are gonna be real surprised with the people who are in heaven.

Thank you so much sir

Great message! Freedom in Christ.

Chad this was excellent!!could you please give us your take on the head covering of Corinthians 11? Is that something that is a binding command that applicable to every woman everywhere who is a believer? It is mentioned in the context of the new covenant was brought up in a tradition that believes that is the case..

I belong to a team of ministers who are inviting people to tell us the stories behind. their tattoos. Yesterday 2 moms told me about wounds from infertility. Others are thanking us for simply listening to their stories without judgment.

I remember my dad saying : know yee not your body is not your own it is a temple of God. In other words don't disfigure it and don't spray graffiti on it

@StevenCroft04 I agree it gave me peace as well. Thank you Pastor Chad.

3:40 You says theses rules in the OT were to set the Israelites apart from everyone else. Are we not to be set apart as believers just as much as now as then.

Thx Chad!!! Revelation 19:12 & 16... "His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many royal crowns; and He has a name inscribed [on Him] which no one knows or understands except Himself. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name inscribed, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Are there similarities/points of agreement between Covenant Theology and Lutheran Theology?

Very good analysis, bringing light on our real moral obligations. I have some friends going to messianic churches having their assemblies on saturday and not sunday because of their "respect for the Shabbath law". It's a difficult subject to talk about with them. How can we express our freedom in that context? How can we treat that topic?

Your teaching here has great meaning. I have long toyed with the idea of getting a tattoo, but would definately want it to be a confession of my faith. I can't settle on what form that would take though, and I feel a lack of conviction about something like that is also a sign to not act on it yet, perhaps something to consider prayerfully.

I understand that the Leviticus argument is weak at best. However, I do think that such permanent body modifications is suggestive of a dissatisfaction and/or disrespect for the handiwork of God. One should IMO be circumspect about such things.

And I believe Lutherans do not make doctrine from only one reference in Scripture. I believe you need at least two clear references for doctrine.

Content matters, the reason why God gave this commandment is even more important. If the reason applies then Christians must absolutely follow.

Yes, you have to watch out. There are some legalist out there that will condemn you for having a tattoo that think they are under the law of Moses and being saved. Not understanding the Christ brought his law, the law of love and salvation.

I've always thought this way, because if tattoo's are forbidden then those with tattoo's could never be saved. I know several people that got tattoo's before knowing God, that would be like saying none of us could get into the kingdom of heaven because of things we did before knowing God.

Thank you Chad for this in depth insight regarding tattoos. If it is a sin for you to have a tattoo then don’t get one. If you are okay with a tattoo by all means go ahead. I loved your cautionary note regarding the nature or message it presents. I threatened each of my kids that when they turn 18 I was going to take them to get a tattoo to which they vehemently protested! All of them are adults with no “tats” lol!

Hi Pastor Chad! What exactly do you mean by not getting an "ugly" tattoo? Is it in terms of its aesthetic value or other things?

I’ve been thinking of getting a tattoo that’s about my Ukrainian ancestry and heritage. Though my ancestors are obviously dead I want to show who I am and what I support.

Could you please help me understand? The word says come out from among them and be ye separate, Yesuah also said you do as I do and I only do what the Father in heaven tells me to do. Can you clarify for me?

What about Isaiah 49:15-16? Is that inscription like a tattoo?

Maybe the issue of getting a tattoo is less about a specific rule and more about self-rule. “I want a tattoo, so I’m gonna get one,” versus, “Lord, what do You want me to do in this decision?”

When Yahweh says forever or throughout your generations I’m pretty sure the creator of the universe knows what forever means. Jesus said I did not come to do away with the law but to fulfill it and write it on our hearts. It also said if you hate your brother then you have committed murder in your heart. If you lust after another then you have already committed adultery in your heart. He didn’t do away with the law He reinforced it by placing it within us. Jesus would never nullify anything Yahweh stated forever or eternal. Just clear your mind and open the Bible and start in the beginning without any preconceived beliefs. You will be surprised at what we have been taught is actually very different from what the Word actually says. Test everything.

Why do the people of God always end up copying what the people of the world do? This practice clearly did not begin among saints.

I don't like tattoos. I have people I love who like tattoos,and some have lots of them. Because it mattered to me, and I cared for them, I checked into this decades ago, and came to the conclusion that whatever these markings/"tattoos" were, they were some sort of ritual for the dead - and THAT is where the prohibition lay. I've never found a reason to change that conclusion. So I continue to not like tattoos, and I continue to accept that there is nothing wrong with a Christian having a tattoo (with the possible exception of the tattoo representing something pagan or cultish). Who am I to judge the servant of another. By his Master he stands or falls, and stand he will because his Master is able to make him stand. None of my business. And none of your either.

Tattoo’s are like adding bumper stickers to a Ferrari They represent the world to me and I’m free not to ink. I am fearfully and wonderfully made as is. Glad to be in the minority 💜💜💜

We should do all things for the Glory of God.

Didn't Jesus say, "I have not come here to change the laws one iota." So how does the New Testament cancel out the Old Testament... thats confusing when i here others say the Old Testament doesnt count

In my Strong's concordance, qa' a' qa is identified as an incision or a gash

I have a Christian friend who was raped, impregnated, and then had a miscarriage. She grieved the loss of the baby despite the crimes of its father. She put a small tattoo in an inconspicuous place on the inside of her wrist with the date of loss. I know this doesn't affect her salvation, but I wonder if she would have chosen the same memorial method had she known God had wanted the Israelites to not mourn/honor the dead in the same way as the pagans did with tattoos/cuttings. I think of 1 Thess 4:13 that encourages us that we don't grieve the same way as the rest of mankind (unbelievers), but we have hope. The focus of this NT scripture is not on tattoos, but on our hope in Christ. Still makes me wonder.

The general equity of Lev 19:28 is to not mourn as the pagan mourns. We are to have hope. So this does apply to Christians in the new covenant in that you are not to make your temple a memorial to those that have died. But otherwise he is correct that it is not a prohibition of tattoos. But as he also said think about what you are doing. Are you glorifying God or yourself with getting a tattoo and if you are glorifying God then what you are tattooing needs to glorify God as well for anything that is not glorifying God is sin.

You can say whatever you want on this matter but me as a believer and knowing there’s nothing good pure coming from this world tattoo is not a good thing

We can learn the God did not want His people to mark themselves or copy the nations. Perhaps even to abstain from pagan practices like blood letting.

Excellent teaching. However, doesn't the overall message of the Scriptures communicate a "phronema" a mindset which we are to incorporate into our world vew. For example, not that tattoos are inherently evil or a sign of spiritual weakness, but are they appropriate to the dignity of the Body based on what the Scriptures reveal to us in relation to our physical temple? Which again as you pointed out, according to St. Paul are Temples of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for your work.

Wow what well reasoning with the images 😅 , I don't want tattoos and I agree with you. I got a tattoo on my hand and it's horribly bad so yeah 😅

You've just demonstrated why Jesus Christ was crucified. Amazing. Thank you

Tattoos become an idol for most people who get them.

Yes, we are under the new covenant, but according to Hebrew 8 that quotes Jeremiah31:31. The law is the same law, but it has moved into our hearts Jesus, made it very clear to not even think that anything in the law was going to be abolished until the earth passed away and that hasn’t happened Furthermore, according to Ephesians 2 we were once in the past gentiles in the flesh, but now we have become part of the Commonwealth of Israel when he made the 2 become 1 But it’s still true that this cannot be applied to everyone everywhere even if you had clarity about what the word meant

I have sort of made my peace with Christians and tattoos...but nowadays I find untattooed bodies VERY refreshing...

why do we always start with what "we can and can't do?" - Chad - I really enjoy your ministry, but using your hermeneutical method stated in this vid ...we can now seek breast augmentation (not for injury reconstruction) without issue? I think we can do better!

How about doing a lesson on how new covenant believers can benefit from correct understanding of the law. Such as Ephesians 6:1-3 (LSB): Children and Parents 1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), 3 so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long in the land.

So, those people who claim tattoos as the mark of the beast, and people who have tattoos cannot be saved...are they taking the verse too far?

If Christ walked among us today, would he be inked (tattooed)? Or with piercings? Churches today became circuses because leaders are pleasing the people.

Bible says we are to have the mind of Christ then you will operate in the Holy Spirit he will lead and guide you into all truth tattoos are a symbol of worldly system not Godly I have several because I was not always a saint of God I plan to get them removed as soon as I can afford to in Jesus Christ name hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah

dont judge, its the same as if you do the things you measure law judgement to someone. no believer is judged by law and God saves.

He applied the rules listed to the other nations and enforced the punishment on the non Israelites. It's in Lev 20. If not, bastards will tell the sons what the rules will be. It's basically in Jeremiah 18 as well. It's forgivable of course but never dealt with really if the culmination of rules. is ignored w deference to rationalizing. Israel was to be a light. It seems to me that if plaiting the hair is not to be done then tattoos as well

We as Christians are adopted into the commonwealth of Israeli blessings along with prohibitions including tattooing…Best to obey and not do markings in our body, the temple of the HOLY SPIRIT dwelling in us…

Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Matthew 5:17-19 17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

I must disagree, our culture has become obsessed with tatoos and those without are definitely a minority now. I can't begin to tell you how many get a tatto in memory of someone that has passed away so how is that any different than the context in Leviticus? For many it has become addictive (idolatry) in a sense that as long as there is a bare patch of skin there is always a reason to get another tattoo. I don't buy yhe argument that it is "just artwork" or "I need to express my uniqueness". Not having any tats is now unique. We are called to be holy (separate from the world) but far too often Christians insist on liberty resulting in little or no difference from our culture and tatoos are just one example of many.

everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. You are not your own......... i can't get passed how Christians follow the Catholic creation of Christmas and Easter. Weren't the Feasts of the L-RD good enough????? Even the newly pagan converted Christians in Corinthians at least knew what the Feast they were celebrating... We have strayed so far what G-D intended... i will play it conservatively and be tattoo free. What G-D created is good enough!!!!! Disclaimer: I am not condemning those that have one. i am also not condemning those that celebrate the Catholic created holidays. So if you don't know, i understand. But once you learn the truth, then what will you do with it. . I am just raising a question.... isn't what G-D gave good enough?

Your not free to do what you want

What it says, what it communicate..i think that is what matters.. Now a days many tattoos are not "Godly"

1 Corinthians 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? Using reasoning, and all of God's word, permanently marking His temple is not a good idea. Especially since the spirit behind most people getting tattoos or piercings is in rebellion. That, I think, is the bigger issue, but still, our body doesn't belong to us.

Tattoos or other skin markings fall under the same banner of Deut 18:9 “When you come into the land which Yahweh your Elohim is giving you, do not learn to do according to the abominations of those nations." The pagan nations used these markings in honor of their gods and for the dead primarily and there is no history of the people of Israel following this practice, because the Torah indeed does forbid it. The ridiculous claim that because you are part of some unfounded "New Covenant" that makes you "free" is the biggest lie of Christianity and many are completely unaware that they are not even on the path to salvation...

If you have a beautifully designed building and someone comes along and graffitied the building, no matter how good the graffiti is it adds nothing to the beauty of the building.

Thanks for elucidating on tattoos. Yes, God was just setting his people apart...and context is crucial. God was also setting his people apart when instructing them to commit genocide (although keep the maidens for themselves), kill those who sacrifice to another god, kill rebelliousness children, kill those who work on the Sabbath, kill those have premarital sexual intercourse, etc. God himself killed 70,000 Israelites because King David took a census. Please let me know if (or when) you do videos on those. (I'll check now.)

Leviticus 19:27-28 You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard. [28] You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord. I have 4 tattoos. Only one visible even though all are on my arms. I'm at peace with having them. Sometimes I wish they were there simply because of reaction of people. The Christian man who condemned me to he'll because of my tattoo but had just finished 10 years in jail for beating his wife and children. The women who say it's evil and a thing men do. Not women. Some just worry that they'll get ugly if I gain weight or get old. What I don't like the most is the people,especially men who cherry pick verse 28 and stand their with their neatly trimmed beard and sides of face shaved, telling me my tattoos are a sin. Ignoring verse 27 by shaving and cutting the edges of their beard. If my tattoos are a sin then they've sinned twice according to verse 27. I have absolutely no problem with their shaved face and trimmed beard. I prefer a neatly kept beard over straggly unkempt. I don't like that they presume judgment on me using this verse, while wearing (according to their own logic and use of verse) sin on their own face. I think we are all fine with our tattoos as long as they are not demonic. And I think trimmed bearded or clean shaved men will be OK too. If Jesus can love and forgive a woman caught in adultery, Peter after denying Him and the man on the cross beside him, He can also forgive these things if He deems them as things needing forgiveness. Love listening to your videos. Keep up the good work spreading His Word and making us think.

Ask yourself…why get a tattoo today? Garner attention? Self-serving? Sounds like a heart issue…like coveting.

One is not making rules regarding your body being a temple, it's using the brain God gave you. Having a tattoo is akin to pride, as in hey look at me, look at my tattoo and my piercings. God will be so much more pleased with if you took His money, and donated it to a worthy charity or meal for a homeless person than a dumb tattoo. Do not conform to this world......

Telling people their allowed to even consider what tattoo to mark themselves with is compromise. But we've been called to be separate even in our day. Look at this deception in the last 25 years

Freedom from sin, not to sin. Your body is God’s temple. So will Jesus enjoy living in a temple with the tattoo or piercing or what have you that you decided to like? Old Covenant is not done away with. New Covenant supersedes the Old Covenant, Jesus showed many examples how this works. Jesus said, in the OT it says, do not commit adultery, but I say unto you, he who has looked on a woman with lust has already committed adultery/fornication with her in his heart. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old, You shall not kill; and whosoever shall kill will be in danger of judgement. But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be in danger of judgement, and whosoever say to his brother, Raca shall be in danger of the council, but whosoever shall say, You fool, shall be in danger of hellfire. He also said, “you are the salt of the earth” and “you are the light of the world”, so be a good and flavorful(not to mention, salt can be a painful disinfectant) example onto the world. Jesus speaking to Jews: Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments( imo, Jesus refers to OT, but maybe im mistaken check for yourself) and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. New Testament is an upgrade of the Old Testament. Jesus asks more of Christians than the Old Testament asks of Jews.

Our context is the NT covenant - the new covenant, wherein our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit - the images were to teach the people about God, the Law, etc - the Old Testament had the law written on stone tablets / in the new covenant the law is written on our hearts , and the body has to be honored as well without any markings/tattoos

Leviticus 19:28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord.

This is not an in depth answer. Here is why tattoos are wrong. In ancient times, pagans worshipped idols made of wood, stone or metal. God has a lot to say about this idolatry, and we all know Israel was sent into exile for their idolatry and the sexual perversions that always accompany it, which God called "abominations". With the spread of Christianity through the Roman empire, most of this kind idolatry was wiped out. But it went underground. With the advent of universities and the beginnings of scientific inquiry and technological advancement in the high medieval period ...all developed by Christians...idol worship was regarded as foolish superstition...but it never went away, it evolved into a new form. Instead of the worship of stone, wood and metal, it became intellectualized during the Enlightenment as the worship of man . Man as the measure of all things. This evolved further into what arch pagan Carl Jung called SELF with capital letters to indicate divinity. The worship of SELF developed into SELF fulfillment, SELF seeking, and SELF expression. Enter the tattoo, among other things like sexual identity. A tattoo serves as the outward expression of the inward worship of SELF . It is simply a modern form of pre-Christian paganism .

Leviticus 19 says don’t cut yourself or put marks on your body. God made us in a way that pleased Him! When He had made man He said “ It is very good!” As a Christian God is our Father. Why would a child of God do anything to mar Gods handiwork? If you love Him you would love the way He made you because He took great pleasure in making you the way He did. Tattoos are graffiti added to or overlaying Gods handiwork. You have shown contempt for God! The scripture says that sons of God are those who are led by the Holy Spirit. Answer this question, Did the Holy Spirit lead you to put tattoos on your body? No!!! It’s understandable that unbelievers put tattoos on their bodies because they are godless and do satans bidding, but not understandable when a child of God does it! It’s shameful, and shows contempt for the One your supposed to love

gimme a break

The Bible does not prohibit opium use. Opium was widely used in biblical times but never addressed in the Bible. Is it ok for followers of CHRIST to indulge in opium?Hmmm

Bad teaching

So basically, Ptr. Chad is saying that pastors, missionaries, church workers, etc can freely get inked, even full body (facial, arms, neck, etc) tattoo since they can consider it as a work of art or something spiritual as their personal reasons for getting tattoos...like putting various verses or the various name of God or Jesus on their skin, like putting John 3:16 on the forehead...and no one can condemn or judge nobody about those tattoos.