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Tattoos
Topic Started: Sep 14 2011, 04:38 AM (1,003 Views)
Aerovox
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Is it wrong for believers to get tattoos?
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F4R
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fmetalx
Sep 14 2011, 04:38 AM
Is it wrong for believers to get tattoos?
I think this is a heart issue.

What is the purpose of getting the tattoo? Am I glorifying sin, or am I glorifying God? Have I gotten the tattoo to mark a personal accomplishment, or to mark something great that God has done in my life?

I believe something that is seriously misunderstood in Churches today is...

Jeremiah 17:9-10 (NASB)
9
The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick
;
Who can understand it?


10I, the LORD, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give to each man according to his ways,
According to the results of his deeds.


I cannot even begin to count the number of times that I've heard these verse quoted by Christians, describing other Christians (and most often themselves.) Yet, what this is doing is denying the new heart that we've been given as part of the New Covenant. Jeremiah describes it this way...

Jeremiah 31:31-34 (NASB)
31
“Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. 33But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34“They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Ezekiel says this about the new heart...

Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NASB)
26
“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

While the New Covenant is not entirely yet in effect. (Not everyone knows the Lord.) Yet, we are under the New Covenant's stewardship. We have been granted a new heart, Paul says that we are a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). Shall we then call what the Lord has created in us to be deceitfully wicked? I dare not. With our new hearts, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are able to discern right from wrong, which is completely different from those who are not under the New Covenant. Those unbelievers have no choice to choose holy things, because they cannot understand what is holy, right and good.

As far as tattoos go, it becomes a heart issue, in your heart, what are you glorifying by getting it?
Edited by F4R, Sep 14 2011, 10:06 AM.
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Tico
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fmetalx
Sep 14 2011, 04:38 AM
Is it wrong for believers to get tattoos?
Personally, I am not a fan of them for various reasons. Although I don't really know whether or not to say it's wrong.
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S.T.Ranger
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F4R
Sep 14 2011, 09:59 AM
fmetalx
Sep 14 2011, 04:38 AM
Is it wrong for believers to get tattoos?
I think this is a heart issue.

What is the purpose of getting the tattoo? Am I glorifying sin, or am I glorifying God? Have I gotten the tattoo to mark a personal accomplishment, or to mark something great that God has done in my life?

I believe something that is seriously misunderstood in Churches today is...

Jeremiah 17:9-10 (NASB)
9
The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick
;
Who can understand it?


10I, the LORD, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give to each man according to his ways,
According to the results of his deeds.


I cannot even begin to count the number of times that I've heard these verse quoted by Christians, describing other Christians (and most often themselves.) Yet, what this is doing is denying the new heart that we've been given as part of the New Covenant. Jeremiah describes it this way...

Jeremiah 31:31-34 (NASB)
31
“Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. 33But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34“They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Ezekiel says this about the new heart...

Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NASB)
26
“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

While the New Covenant is not entirely yet in effect. (Not everyone knows the Lord.) Yet, we are under the New Covenant's stewardship. We have been granted a new heart, Paul says that we are a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). Shall we then call what the Lord has created in us to be deceitfully wicked? I dare not. With our new hearts, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are able to discern right from wrong, which is completely different from those who are not under the New Covenant. Those unbelievers have no choice to choose holy things, because they cannot understand what is holy, right and good.

As far as tattoos go, it becomes a heart issue, in your heart, what are you glorifying by getting it?
Excellent post.
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Hannah T Ruth
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Is it wrong for believers to get tattoos?
I am in agreement with F4R, it is a heart issue. When I was younger and did not know Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I threw around the idea of having a tattoo. It seemed like a cool thing to have and I would only show it off when I had my swim suit on. Then I started thinking about the fact that I may not like it after I got it and that it was a permanent mark on my skin. Yes I know they have ways of removing them but I thought do I really want to go through all that for something that I may not really like after receiving. So I never got one.
In Old Testament, the Lord told the Israelites that they were not to make any cuts on the flesh or tattoo any marks on their bodies(Lev.19:28)NKJ because these were pagan practices and they were to be set apart as the children of God.
So the real question is why would you want to get a tattoo? As a child of God, your heart's desire would be to do what pleases the Lord. Are you honoring the Lord? Or honoring some desire within yourself? I know some people get crosses on their skin as a symbol of their new life in Christ or to show the world that they now follow the Lord. But do we really need marks on our skin to show the love of Christ to a lost and dying world. We want to be set apart not by drawing attention to our outward appearance but by drawing attention to our lives led by the Spirit of the Lord.
Galatians 5:22-25NKJ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Just some things to think on, we want to make a difference for Christ not by our outward appearance so much but by a yielded and obedient heart to Him so that we attract people for the Savior. Besides this life is a continual battle just to do that because we still live in these sinful bodies. Staying in God's Word and in prayer so we know how we are to live as children of God should be our focus. We are to be imitators of God and walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us.
God Bless
[/color[/color]]
Edited by Hannah T Ruth, Apr 22 2012, 04:18 AM.
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stratcat79
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First of all, what do the tattoos show or say? Their main purpose seems to me to be a means of drawing attention to one's self. Our eyes should be fixed on Jesus, not ourselves no matter how we say what we say. Tattoos are not in and of themselves wicked, but in my opinion they are not attractive. They do not do anything that the mouth or a tee shirt could do. Remember that listening is very important too! :ermm:

The heart, although connected, is a separate issue and forum in itself, which I and/or others may discuss in such a thread.
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F4R
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ddown
May 3 2012, 09:32 AM
First of all, what do the tattoos show or say? Their main purpose seems to me to be a means of drawing attention to one's self. Our eyes should be fixed on Jesus, not ourselves no matter how we say what we say. Tattoos are not in and of themselves wicked, but in my opinion they are not attractive. They do not do anything that the mouth or a tee shirt could do. Remember that listening is very important too! :ermm:

The heart, although connected, is a separate issue and forum in itself, which I and/or others may discuss in such a thread.
Hey Ddown,

Welcome to the forum, I hope that your time here will be blessed, and that you would be a blessing to others.

ddown
 
First of all, what do the tattoos show or say? Their main purpose seems to me to be a means of drawing attention to one's self.


Is this empirical or anecdotal. I personally have tattoos, none of which are in places which are readily visible to most people. I didn't get tattoos from show, or as a means of drawing attention to myself. Can they be used in such a way? No doubt, but I would need to see empirical data for such a statement to be made.

ddown
 
Our eyes should be fixed on Jesus, not ourselves no matter how we say what we say.


I completely agree! To a point. Our eyes do need to be fixed on ourselves to determine whether or not what we are doing is glorifying to God or not.

ddown
 
The heart, although connected, is a separate issue and forum in itself, which I and/or others may discuss in such a thread.


The problem is, that the heart is never a separate issue. Everything we do is connected to what is in our heart. We can discuss it directly, but we can never minimize the impact that our hearts have on what we do, and what those of the world do as well. We understand that everything that comes out of us, all of our inward thoughts and outward actions originate from our hearts. So the heart can never be a truly separate issue from what we do outwardly.
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stratcat79
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The issue you brought up was tattoos, not the heart. Issues of the heart encompass so many things including tattoos that I figured we'd get off topic... tattoos... and go too far into issues of the heart, that's all.

I'm not a fan of tattoos, but can't give you chapter and verse regarding them. There are those that will find fault with just about anything and those that give everything a pass. I merely give my opinion on tattoos, not Biblical judgment.
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S.T.Ranger
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While on a mission trip to Austria, one of the guys along had been to a Promise-Keepers rally (or something like that) and had gotten so "on fire for the Lord that he went out and had a HUGE picture of "Jesus" tattooed on his arm.

I had mixed feelings about it (and I use to be a rocker! lol) but my final opinion was that he had felt this was a way to boldly proclaim his faith in Christ.

One thing for sure: if his conversion was not real, he will have that particular reminder of Christ on a daily basis. Who knows, could be that for that fellow, it may have been a good thing.

Taking a legalistic stance one could denounce the tattoo based upon the Law, but, it is doubtful that this new believer viewed this as a graven image (ouch...lol).

Here is a passage from the law that might be a starting point for study:



Leviticus 19:28

King James Version (KJV)


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


When we look at tattoos today, its not just Navy guys getting them, they have increased in popularity tremendously, and correspond, I think, with certain cultures. Bikers seem to take this to the extreme.

A cousin of mine, who has since passed on, was a member of that culture and his arms were loaded with them. He attended the services with me...and got saved. After a while he got in the habit of wearing long-sleeved shirts, and I assure you no-one said a word about them. I think there was a bit of inner conflict with this culture, and the preaching he was sitting under.

Okay, just rambling.

God bless.
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S.T.Ranger
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ddown
http://s4.zetaboards.com/S_T_Rangers/single/?p=8118156&t=9081351
First of all, what do the tattoos show or say? Their main purpose seems to me to be a means of drawing attention to one's self. Our eyes should be fixed on Jesus, not ourselves no matter how we say what we say. Tattoos are not in and of themselves wicked, but in my opinion they are not attractive. They do not do anything that the mouth or a tee shirt could do. Remember that listening is very important too! :ermm:

The heart, although connected, is a separate issue and forum in itself, which I and/or others may discuss in such a thread.


Hannah T Ruth
http://s4.zetaboards.com/S_T_Rangers/single/?p=8117782&t=9081351
Is it wrong for believers to get tattoos?
I am in agreement with F4R, it is a heart issue. When I was younger and did not know Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I threw around the idea of having a tattoo. It seemed like a cool thing to have and I would only show it off when I had my swim suit on. Then I started thinking about the fact that I may not like it after I got it and that it was a permanent mark on my skin. Yes I know they have ways of removing them but I thought do I really want to go through all that for something that I may not really like after receiving. So I never got one.
In Old Testament, the Lord told the Israelites that they were not to make any cuts on the flesh or tattoo any marks on their bodies(Lev.19:28)NKJ because these were pagan practices and they were to be set apart as the children of God.
So the real question is why would you want to get a tattoo? As a child of God, your heart's desire would be to do what pleases the Lord. Are you honoring the Lord? Or honoring some desire within yourself? I know some people get crosses on their skin as a symbol of their new life in Christ or to show the world that they now follow the Lord. But do we really need marks on our skin to show the love of Christ to a lost and dying world. We want to be set apart not by drawing attention to our outward appearance but by drawing attention to our lives led by the Spirit of the Lord.
Galatians 5:22-25NKJ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Just some things to think on, we want to make a difference for Christ not by our outward appearance so much but by a yielded and obedient heart to Him so that we attract people for the Savior. Besides this life is a continual battle just to do that because we still live in these sinful bodies. Staying in God's Word and in prayer so we know how we are to live as children of God should be our focus. We are to be imitators of God and walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us.
God Bless
[/color[/color]]


Okay, not sure how this will come out, but, the goal is to multiquote, and...there is just one quote box.
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S.T.Ranger
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Still not getting collapse/expand to work, though.
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S.T.Ranger
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fmetalx
Sep 14 2011, 04:38 AM
Is it wrong for believers to get tattoos?
Well, considering how they treat Jedi knights, I have to say no, so...

Oh, tattoos.

Thought you said "Wattos."

Nevermind...
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S.T.Ranger
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Hi guys, sorry for not being around lately, things have been extremely busy with wrk and I am trying to get enougn accomplished to take my wife to NC for a few days to see her Dad.

Ran across this and thought it might fit in this thread, though I ost it more because I thought it very interesting:




Quote:
 

Subject: Why Mr. Rogers Wore a Sweater-- I never knew. What a story.


Would Never Have Guessed

Captain Kangaroo passed away on January 23, 2004 at age 76 , which is odd, because he always looked to be 76. (DOB: 6/27/27 ) His death reminded me of the following story.

Some people have been a bit offended that the actor, Lee Marvin, is buried in a grave alongside 3 and 4-star generals at Arlington National Cemetery His marker gives his name, rank (PVT) and service (USMC). Nothing else. Here's a guy who was only a famous movie star who served his time, why the heck does he rate burial with these guys? Well, following is the amazing answer:

I always liked Lee Marvin, but didn't know the extent of his Corps experiences.

In a time when many Hollywood stars served their country in the armed forces often in rear echelon posts where they were carefully protected, only to be trotted out to perform for the cameras in war bond promotions, Lee Marvin was a genuine hero. He won the Navy Cross at Iwo Jima There is only one higher Naval award... the Medal Of Honor!

If that is a surprising comment on the true character of the man, he credits his sergeant with an even greater show of bravery.

Dialog from "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson": His guest was Lee Marvin... Johnny said, "Lee, I'll bet a lot of people are unaware that you were a Marine in the initial landing at Iwo Jima ..and that during the course of that action you earned the Navy Cross and were severely wounded."

"Yeah, yeah... I got shot square in the bottom and they gave me the Cross for securing a hot spot about halfway up Suribachi. Bad thing about getting shot up on a mountain is guys getting shot hauling you down. But, Johnny, at Iwo , I served under the bravest man I ever knew... We both got the Cross the same day, but what he did for his Cross made mine look cheap in comparison. That dumb guy actually stood up on Red beach and directed his troops to move forward and get the hell off the beach.. Bullets flying by, with mortar rounds landing everywhere and he stood there as the main target of gunfire so that he could get his men to safety. He did this on more than one occasion because his men's safety was more important than his own life.


That Sergeant and I have been lifelong friends. When they brought me off Suribachi we passed the Sergeant and he lit a smoke and passed it to me, lying on my belly on the litter and said, "Where'd they get you Lee?" "Well Bob.... if you make it home before me, tell Mom to sell the outhouse!"
Johnny, I'm not lying, Sergeant Keeshan was the bravest man I ever knew.
The Sergeant's name is Bob Keeshan. You and the world know him as Captain Kangaroo."

On another note, there was this wimpy little man (who passed away) on PBS, gentle and quiet. Mr. Rogers is another of those you would least suspect of being anything but what he now portrays to our youth. But Mr. Rogers was a U.S. Navy Seal, combat-proven in Vietnam with over twenty-five confirmed kills to his name. He wore a long-sleeved sweater on TV, to cover the many tattoos on his forearm and biceps. He was a master in small arms and hand-to-hand combat, able to disarm or kill in a heartbeat.


After the war Mr. Rogers became an ordained Presbyterian minister and therefore a pacifist. Vowing to never harm another human and also dedicating the rest of his life to trying to help lead children on the right path in life... He hid away the tattoos and his past life and won our hearts with his quiet wit and charm.

America's real heroes don't flaunt what they did; they quietly go about their day-to-day lives, doing what they do best. They earned our respect and the freedoms that we all enjoy.
Look around and see if you can find one of those heroes in your midst.
Often, they are the ones you'd least suspect, but would most like to have on your side if anything ever happened.

Take the time to thank anyone that has fought for our freedom. With encouragement they could be the next Captain Kangaroo or Mr. Rogers.




Hope everyone has a blessed Lord's day,

God bless.

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stratcat79
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OK. Lev. 19:28. That settles it as far as I'm concerned.
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Shim
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ddown
Jul 9 2012, 11:59 AM
OK. Lev. 19:28. That settles it as far as I'm concerned.
Do we need also take the audience and practice of the culture into account? I thought that this in consideration of that was referring to idol worship.
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