This article was written by a member of Long Hill Baptist Church.
— Pastor Hammond.
Tattoos have become a familiar sight in our world, and many believers quietly wonder how the Lord would have them think about marking the body. It is not a small question. It touches identity, testimony, and the desire to honor Christ in every part of life. Sometimes the Lord uses simple, everyday choices to draw our hearts back to Him, reminding us that even the things the world treats lightly deserve careful thought from the believer.
“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? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
The Lord gently reminds us that our bodies belong to Him. They are not merely physical vessels, but places where His Spirit dwells. When we consider tattoos, we are really considering what message we place upon the temple He has entrusted to us. The world encourages self-expression, but Scripture encourages bringing glory to God. The believer must pause and ask whether a permanent mark reflects Christ or distracts from Him. The body is not ours to use as a canvas for personal identity; it is His, purchased by the blood of Christ, and meant to reflect His presence.
“Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.”
Leviticus 19:28
In this verse, the Lord speaks with a simplicity that reaches the heart. He tells His people not to place marks upon their bodies, and He grounds the command in His own identity - “I am the LORD.” The believer does not need to understand every detail of ancient customs to feel the weight of those words. God wanted His people to belong to Him in a way that was visible, intentional, and distinct. The Christian’s testimony is precious, and the Lord calls us to guard it with care. Tattoos often carry meanings, symbols, or associations that do not point others to Christ, and the believer must consider whether such markings strengthen or weaken the testimony God has entrusted to them.
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Romans 12:2
The world presses its ideas upon us constantly. It tells us to follow trends, to express ourselves, to define our own identity. But the Lord calls us to something higher - transformation, not conformity. The believer who considers a tattoo must ask whether the desire comes from a renewed mind or from the pressure of a world that does not know God. The Lord wants His people to reflect Him, not the culture around them.
Yet the Lord is gracious. Many Christians come to Him after years of living without Him, and their bodies may bear marks from those days. The Lord does not turn them away. He does not shame them. He receives them with love and begins the work of shaping their present. A tattoo from yesterday does not diminish the usefulness of a believer today. The Lord delights in using redeemed people, not perfect ones.
“If any man be in Christ’ he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
2 Corinthians 5:17
The believer who is considering a tattoo must pause and ask whether the choice reflects devotion to Christ or conformity to the world.
May the Lord help us seek His wisdom in every decision, and may our lives - whatever our past may hold - reflect a heart devoted to honoring Him in body, spirit, and testimony.