Tattooed forever!

My blog is going to be a little different today. Normally I usually stick to the written word of God, sermonize, preach from the pulpit kind of thing. Not so today! Something has been very heavy on my heart the last few days and I’m going to speak liberally about it. (With a few verses thrown in to show you what God has to say).

(A great sister of Christ calls her deductions ‘ism’s’. I’m calling mine Paul-vision. What I mean by this is this is the way I think.)
Let’s move on…

Paul-vision: Our environment and culture dictate our behavior.
My example for this Blog is:

Tattoos. I am Ex-Navy. When you think of sailors, what’s one of the first things that come to mind? When I was in the Navy, it was drinking, womanizing and Tattoos. Many times did I have the chance to get one of those babies. Yet, I never did. My motivation was pain and not wanting to mark my body for the rest of my life.

The tattoo was until recently reserved for the heavy metal rocker or biker…for criminals and the social outcast of society. But today the tattoo glamorously appears everywhere and anywhere. It’s the latest fashion craze. Tattoos are found on movie stars such as Julia Roberts, Halle Berry, Drew Berrymore and Bruce Willis.

A 2006 a study done by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that 24% of Americans between 18 and 50 are tattooed; that’s almost one in four. And the survey showed that about 36% of Americans age 18 to 29 have at least one tattoo!
According to US news and World report, tattooing is the country’s sixth-fastest growing retail business. It is estimated that one new tattoo studio opens up every day.
Tattooing has been around for thousands of years. Tattooing has a rich history in Eurasia, Japan, Egypt. Various other cultures have had their own tattoo traditions, ranging from rubbing cuts and other wounds with ashes, to hand-pricking the skin to insert dyes.
Tattoos have served as rites of passage, marks of status and rank, decorations for bravery, sexual lures and marks of fertility, pledges of love, punishment, protection, and as the marks of outcasts, slaves and convicts.

I am not going to condemn anyone who has a tattoo or anyone who has some part of their body pierced. Jesus said, “I have not come into this world to condemn it but to save it.” That’s good enough for me too!

My point with this is an example though, some look at people with tattoos and are fearful, ashamed and disgusted. They immediately judge that person based on there decision to have a tattoo. There are some Companies, that won’t hire someone if they have a tattoo. Some people won’t date people with Tattoos…

It’s a image thing!
Paul-vision: How can you see somebody’s faults if your eyes are on Christ?

Why do people get tattoos? I think you could pretty much answer that for yourselves. Here’s a few I’ve heard:

· Because everyone has one - It hard to live in today’s world with all the temptations, hmmmmmmm.
· Because you have a heart of rebellion - If you get a tattoo because of rebellious reasons, it’s only going to be an outward symbol of what was planted in your heart.
· Because you want to appeal to the opposite sex - What happens when you get a tattoo when you’re single and five years later you get married. Especially if your wife’s name is Linda and you have a heart on your chest with the name ‘Sarah’?
· Because you want to be a witness for Christ - I don’t know where we get the idea that we have to conform to the world’s pattern in order for us to save the world. The bible tells us that your witness is through the fruit of your life.

What’s God say about Tattoos?

God said in Lev. 19:28….Don’t cut your body or tattoo it.
God did not want his people to have anything to do with false gods or idol worship or witchcraft. This was the reason then for Tattoos. You don’t have to get God’s attention by cutting yourself or tattooing yourself.

Ok, so that’s just the Old Testament, it’s not for us…right?

In 1 Corinthians, treatment of the body is directly spoken of.
· "The body is meant for the Lord" 1 Corinthians 6:13.
· "Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit." 1 Corinthians 6:19.
· "You are not your own; you were bought at a price." 1 Corinthians 6:19.
· "Honor God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6:20.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
“Didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in you and through your body.”

The principal here seems to be that our bodies belong to God, not ourselves, and that we are to use them in ways that honor and reflect God’s glory. I’m not against Christian tattoos, t-shirts and bumper stickers….but if that is the extent of your witness…then your ability to be a witness is warped.


Again, I’m not putting down people with Tattoos, we all decide how to live our own lives before and after we are saved by his blood. I have done things in the past that have left marks on me, scarred me and left a permanent impression. You may not see it on the outside but they are there. They are a result but not my excuse of the environment and culture.

I am a new person in Christ now, my past is gone. The marks are still there and they provide a good testimony to my path to Jesus. Yours should be as well, a testimony to your path to Christ!

2 Corinthians 1:21,22
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal (mark) of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

He put his mark on us to show that we are his, and he put his Spirit in our hearts to be a guarantee for all he has promised.

By accepting Jesus into your life you automatically receive a special mark on your life and guess what? it’s painless. And it is the most beautiful marking you have ever seen. The mark on your life when you receive Jesus Christ by faith into your life isn’t temporary…it’s eternal. It last forever. God put his Spirit into our lives as a guarantee…that you belong to Him.

The Apostle Paul knew what it meant to be branded. He knew that a slave would get tattooed or marked…it was a way to show ownership. You don’t have to get pierced to prove your love for him, or get “God’s Love” tattooed on your hand, you just have to put your faith in him offering him your heart.

That’s how we become, Tattooed forever!