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Are Tattoos a Sin?

Name: GodlyScore Review: Are Tattoos a Sin?
Item: Tattoos
Rating: 3.0
Author: GodlyScore

Are tattoos a sin? This is one of the most-asked questions in Christian ethics today. The debate usually centers on one Old Testament verse — Leviticus 19:28 — but the full biblical picture is more nuanced, and Christians have genuinely differing convictions on this disputable matter.

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Tattoos

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★★★☆☆3.0/5 · GodlyScore 60/100

Leviticus 19:28 ('Do not cut your bodies... or put tattoo marks on yourselves') is the primary text cited — but this was addressed to Israel under the Mosaic covenant, which Christians are not under. The New Testament doesn't prohibit tattoos. The relevant biblical considerations are: glorifying God with the body (1 Corinthians 6:20), not conforming to the world (Romans 12:2), and Christian liberty with consideration for others (Romans 14). Christians have genuine freedom here; the question is wisdom and motive. 60/100 Mixed — disputable matter.

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The Leviticus 19:28 Question

Leviticus 19:28 — "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord" — is the verse cited most often against tattoos. Understanding it correctly matters. This verse was addressed to Israel under the Mosaic covenant, which Christians are not under. The context is specifically prohibiting practices associated with pagan mourning rituals for the dead — marks cut or applied in worship of other gods. This is why, in the same chapter, the same passage also prohibits cutting hair at the sides of the head (v.27) — a verse few cite as applying to Christians today.

New Testament Christians are not under the Mosaic law as a legal code (Galatians 3:23-25, Romans 10:4). We are under the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2) — which doesn't enumerate tattoos.

What Does Apply

The relevant New Testament considerations are: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 — honor God with your body. Romans 12:2 — don't conform to the pattern of this world. Romans 14 — in disputable matters, act in faith without causing others to stumble. 1 Corinthians 10:31 — do everything for the glory of God.

These don't prohibit tattoos categorically, but they do provide a framework for evaluating any specific tattoo: Is the content God-honoring? Is it motivated by worldly conformity or genuine expression? Will it cause others to stumble? Are you acting in faith or compulsion? These are the real questions.

Practical Guidance

Christians have genuine liberty on tattoos. A Christian who gets a tattoo of a cross, a Scripture verse, or meaningful Christian symbol as an expression of faith is exercising liberty in a God-honoring direction. A Christian who avoids tattoos out of conviction that the body should remain as God made it is also exercising legitimate Christian conscience. Both positions are defensible. See The Gospel Coalition on OT law and Christians.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are tattoos a sin?

60/100 Mixed — disputable matter. Leviticus 19:28 is the most-cited verse but is regularly misapplied — it addressed pagan mourning rituals in Israel under the Mosaic covenant, not modern tattoos. The New Testament doesn't prohibit tattoos. The relevant questions are motive and content: does it glorify God (1 Corinthians 6:20)? Is it worldly conformity (Romans 12:2)? Christians have genuine liberty here.

What does the Bible say about tattoos?

Leviticus 19:28 prohibits marks made in pagan mourning rituals — Christians are not under the Mosaic covenant as a legal code (Galatians 3:25). No New Testament passage prohibits tattoos. The biblical framework for body decisions is 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (honor God with the body) and Romans 14 (act in faith, in disputable matters). Christians have genuine liberty.