Can Christians Get Tattoos? What Leviticus 19:28 Means

Maybe you are thinking about a verse on your forearm, or you came to faith with tattoos already on your skin. Either way, the question comes up: can Christians get tattoos? The Bible mentions tattoos in one place, Leviticus 19:28, and churches read that verse in more than one way.

What Leviticus 19:28 says

You must not make any cuts in your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:28, BSB)

The first half of the verse forbids cutting the body for the dead. Deuteronomy repeats that command:

You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or shave your foreheads on behalf of the dead, (Deuteronomy 14:1, BSB)

Cutting the body was a religious practice among Israel's neighbors. The prophets of Baal did it on Mount Carmel:

So they shouted louder and cut themselves with knives and lances, as was their custom, until the blood gushed over them. (1 Kings 18:28, BSB)

The United Bible Societies' Handbook on Leviticus (Péter-Contesse and Ellington, 1990) explains the tattoo marks as signs people made on their skin to show they belonged to a deity, a custom common outside Israel and forbidden to God's people. Commentators are divided on whether the tattoos were themselves part of a mourning rite.

Does Leviticus 19:28 still apply?

The same chapter includes other commands most Christians do not keep literally:

You are to keep My statutes. You shall not crossbreed two different kinds of livestock; you shall not sow your fields with two kinds of seed; and you shall not wear clothing made of two kinds of material. (Leviticus 19:19, BSB)

You must not cut off the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard. (Leviticus 19:27, BSB)

How a church reads Leviticus 19 depends on how it relates the Old Testament law to Christians. The Westminster Confession (chapter 19) divides the law into moral, ceremonial and judicial laws, and teaches that the moral law still binds everyone while the ceremonial laws are abrogated and the judicial laws expired with the state of Israel. Other traditions frame the question differently, and that is a big reason Christians land in different places on tattoos.

Two common views

Christians should not get tattoos. Some churches and believers hold that the command in Leviticus 19:28 still applies, and they add the New Testament teaching that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.

Tattoos are a matter of conscience. Many other churches read the verse as addressing pagan mourning and marks of belonging to other gods, within the law given to Israel. They often point to Paul's words about the law:

So the law became our guardian to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. (Galatians 3:24–25, BSB)

Churches that take this view usually ask believers to think about what the tattoo says, why they want it, and how it will affect the people around them.

Both views take Scripture seriously. They differ on how far the Old Testament commands reach today.

New Testament passages Christians weigh

The New Testament says nothing directly about tattoos, but several passages shape the conversation. Paul writes about the body:

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19–20, BSB)

Christians on both sides of the tattoo question quote this passage.

On outward appearance:

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7, BSB)

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair or gold jewelry or fine clothes, but from the inner disposition of your heart, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God’s sight. (1 Peter 3:3–4, BSB)

On questions Scripture leaves open, Paul writes about conscience in Romans 14:

One person regards a certain day above the others, while someone else considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. (Romans 14:5, BSB)

But the one who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that is not from faith is sin. (Romans 14:23, BSB)

Paul was writing about food and holy days, and many Christians apply the same principle here: if you still have doubts, wait.

Christian tattoo traditions

Coptic Christians in Egypt have a long tradition of a small cross tattooed on the inside of the right wrist. Accounts of how it started differ, and today it is worn mostly as a sign of faith. In Jerusalem's Old City, the Razzouk family, also Coptic Christians, have run a tattoo shop for generations and tattoo pilgrims with the Jerusalem cross. These are the practices of particular communities, not the position of every church.

Questions to ask before getting a tattoo

• Why do I want it? To remember something, to remind myself of a verse, or on impulse?
• What does it say? Check whether the image or words carry meanings that clash with your faith, such as symbols from another religion.
• Who will it affect? Think about your family, your church and your workplace.
• What does my church teach? If you are unsure, ask your pastor.
• Can I wait? Tattoos are hard to remove completely, so give yourself time.

If you already have tattoos

Many Christians got tattoos before they believed, or see things differently now than they did then. Scripture does not name tattoos as a barrier to coming to God. Whether you keep, cover or remove a tattoo is a personal decision, and one you can pray through with your pastor.

Respecting other Christians

Some believers would never get a tattoo, and others have scripture inked on their arms. Paul's word in Romans 14 applies to both:

Therefore let us stop judging one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way. (Romans 14:13, BSB)

Penned Grace lets you write scripture by hand, letter by letter, on iPhone, iPad or Android, with your finger or Apple Pencil. It is free to download. If you want to sit with 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 for a while, writing it out slowly is one way to do it.