Is It a Sin to Have Tattoos?

In our day and age, many people have tattoos. But, is it a sin to have tattoos? What does the Bible say?

Old Testament Commands from God:

The Old Testament clearly states that getting a tattoo is a sin. In the book of Leviticus and Exodus, God gave instructions (commands) for the people directly to Moses (Scriptures 1 – Old Testament). Moses had to put a veil over his face when he returned to the people after speaking with God because his face was glowing and it frightened them. God instructed Moses to tell the people not to get tattoos. These commands came from God personally spoken to Moses. They are not just men’s opinions or laws; these came directly from God!

New Testament Time:

Now that we are in New Testament time (After Christ died for our sins), we are no longer bound to all those commands that the Lord gave to Moses. When we are born again and truly ask Jesus to be our Lord, all our sins are forgiven. We are made clean. So, if we have tattoos before we became a Christian, those are all forgiven. However, the New Testament makes it perfectly clear that our bodies are God’s temple and God lives in us (Scriptures 2 – New Testament).

We are to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to God, pleasing God. And everything we do with our bodies should be for God. Including how we dress and wear jewelry.

Tattoos from Before Becoming Born Again Christian:

If you already have tattoos from your past, you may want to consider removing them. But that would be between you and the Lord. You should pray deeply about that. God may want to use your old tattoos as a testimony where you came from and how God saved you from that. But then again, the Lord may be offended by your tattoos, or they may turn people away from God; and the Lord may want you to remove them. Let the Lord lead you on what to do.

After Born Again Christian:

Knowing that God does not want us to get tattoos from the Old Testament, we truly shouldn’t get tattoos once we are saved and following Christ. That would be a deliberate sin.