Are We Asking the Wrong Question?

“Can a Christian get a tattoo?”

Few questions seem to generate more heat among Christians than this one.

Over the years I’ve begun to wonder if the problem isn’t simply the answers we give.

Perhaps the problem begins with the question itself.

Questions Shape the Way We Think

One of the easiest ways to understand how someone thinks isn’t by listening to their answers. It’s by listening to the questions they ask.

Questions create frameworks.

When we ask, “Can I?”, we’ve already framed the conversation around permission. We instinctively begin searching for the minimum requirement. We look for a verse that explicitly forbids something or one that appears to permit it. If no clear prohibition exists, we often conclude the matter is settled.

But is that how Scripture teaches God’s people to think?

Throughout Scripture, God consistently calls His people to look beyond mere permission and toward wisdom, discernment, and wholehearted obedience.

Rather than asking only, “Is it allowed?”, Scripture teaches us to consider questions such as:

• Does this glorify God?
• Is it beneficial?
• Does it edify others?
• Will it master me?
• Does this fit the calling God has placed before me?

Those are very different questions.

Perhaps before asking whether a Christian can get a tattoo, we should first ask whether we’re approaching the subject the way Scripture teaches us to approach difficult decisions.

What Does Scripture Actually Say?

Whenever tattoos are discussed, Leviticus 19:28 is almost always the first passage mentioned.

“You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the LORD.”

This passage deserves careful attention.

The Hebrew naturally reads as two related prohibitions. The first forbids making cuts in the flesh for the dead. The second forbids placing tattoo marks on oneself. While both appear together in the same verse, the command itself is repeated, making them grammatically distinct.

At the same time, the surrounding context is important.

Leviticus 19 contains numerous instructions that distinguished Israel from the pagan nations around them. Many scholars therefore understand these commands as addressing practices closely connected with pagan worship and mourning customs. Others see them more broadly as examples of God’s desire for His people to remain distinct from the surrounding culture. Both observations are worth considering as we seek to understand the passage today.

Because sincere Christians and Bible students have reached different conclusions about exactly how this passage applies today, it does not by itself settle every modern question someone might have about tattoos.

That doesn’t diminish the importance of the passage.

It simply reminds us that Christians often face questions Scripture does not answer with a single verse. When that happens, we must learn to reason from biblical principles rather than isolated proof texts.

The Better Question

Imagine for a moment that tattoos had never existed.

Would the principles we’re discussing still matter?

I believe they would.

Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly directs our attention away from outward appearances and toward the heart.

When Jesus criticized the Pharisees, it wasn’t because they wore phylacteries containing Scripture. His concern was their motivation.

“All their works they do to be seen by men…” (Matthew 23:5)

The problem wasn’t the object.

It was the desire behind it.

That principle reaches far beyond first-century religious clothing.

It applies to how we dress.

How we speak.

How we pray.

How we give.

How we present ourselves.

And yes, it may also have something to teach us as we think about tattoos.

Instead of asking,

“Can I put this on my body?”

perhaps we should ask questions like:

Why do I want this?

What desire is motivating this decision?

Is this the way Scripture teaches me to honor Christ?

Does this reflect the pattern Christ and the apostles left for us?

Is this helping me become more like Christ, or primarily helping me express something about myself?

Notice that these questions move beyond permission.

They invite us to examine the heart.

Two Very Different Stories

The culture around us tells a compelling story.

Discover yourself.

Express yourself.

Tell your story.

Build your identity.

Show the world who you are.

The message of Scripture points us in a different direction.

Jesus tells His followers,

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself…”

Paul writes,

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” (Romans 12:2)

These are not merely different instructions.

They are different understandings of what it means to live.

One begins with expressing the self.

The other begins with surrendering the self.

One asks us to preserve our identity.

The other asks God to transform it.

If Scripture repeatedly describes the Christian life as putting off the old man, renewing the mind, and being transformed into the image of Christ, should that shape the way we think about permanently expressing who we are today?

That is a question worth considering.

Continually Becoming

One of the remarkable themes running throughout Scripture is that God’s people are continually being changed.

Abraham’s faith grows.

Jacob becomes Israel.

Peter is transformed from an impulsive fisherman into a faithful shepherd.

Paul says, “Not that I have already attained…”

Even Job—a man God Himself described as upright—came to realize that he understood far less than he had imagined once God revealed Himself more fully.

The closer God’s servants came to know Him, the more humble they became.

That should shape the way we think about ourselves.

The Christian life is not static.

It is a lifetime of transformation.

Who I am today should not be the same person I am ten years from now if I continue walking with God.

Perhaps one of the defining characteristics of a Christian is that we are difficult to permanently define.

Not because we lack conviction.

But because we trust that God is not finished with us yet.

What If I Already Have Tattoos?

If you’ve read this far while looking down at tattoos you already have, don’t miss the point of this article.

This isn’t an invitation to shame.

It’s an invitation to think.

If, after studying God’s Word and examining your heart, you become convicted that a past decision wasn’t the wisest choice, remember one of the most encouraging truths found throughout Scripture:

God delights in forgiving those who genuinely repent and seek Him.

His calling is one of repentance, forgiveness, and continual transformation.

At the same time, those who have never desired tattoos should be careful not to fall into self-righteousness.

If God has forgiven a brother or sister, who are we to continue holding something against them?

Humility belongs on both sides of the discussion.

Learning to Ask Better Questions

Perhaps the greatest lesson isn’t about tattoos at all.

Perhaps it is about learning to ask better questions.

Instead of asking,

“Can I?”

we might ask,

“Will this help me become more like Christ?”

Instead of asking,

“Is this permitted?”

we might ask,

“Does this fit the calling God has placed before me?”

Instead of asking,

“How can I express myself?”

perhaps the greater question is,

“How can Christ be formed in me?”

That question reaches far beyond tattoos.

It applies to every decision we make.

Every habit we form.

Every desire we pursue.

Every choice that shapes the person we are becoming.

The Christian life is less about preserving who we are than surrendering to who God is making us.

Perhaps that is the better question—not only when considering tattoos, but whenever we seek to faithfully walk with God.