Can Believers Have TATTOOS, PIERCINGS and ODD HAIRCUTS?
Can believers have tattoos, piercings and odd haircuts and, if so, how far can they take it? How much is too much? Where do local assemblies draw the line in regard to style & dress at their services? Such questions naturally bring up connecting topics, such as the Christian’s ‘witness‘ to the culture at large, as well as subcultures within the general populace.
Let’s first consider what the Torah commanded the Hebrews on the issue:
27“ ‘Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.
28“ ‘Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.
Leviticus 19:27-28
These laws were intended to prevent the Israelites from emulating the heathen practices of neighboring nations, some of which got tattoos, cut themselves or used disfiguring haircuts to illustrate humiliation and grief in order to win favor with their gods. A good example from the Bible is when Elijah faced off with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Notice what these prophets did when they desperately called upon their false god:
22Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.”
Then all the people said, “What you say is good.”
25Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” 26So they took the bull given them and prepared it.
Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.
27At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 28So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 29Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.
1 Kings 18:22-29
So, the LORD’s commands in Leviticus 19:27-28 were given to prevent the Hebrews from engaging in idolatry, which honored false gods above the true God, not to mention dishonored their bodies.
How do we distinguish which commands in the Mosaic Law, such as in the book of Leviticus, are applicable to believers today and which ones are not? Only the ones that apply to morality are applicable because universal moral laws are absolute, such as the prohibition against homosexuality (Leviticus 20:13), which is echoed in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). However, the wearing of clothes that blend two materials, like cotton and wool, is irrelevant to believers today (Leviticus 19:19), not to mention nothing about it is mentioned in the New Testament. In other words, laws concerning ceremony or irrelevant items are not applicable to the New Covenant believer, which is verified by this clear passage:
16Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
Colossians 2:16-17
You can read details here.
Obviously, cutting yourself, which is called “self-harm” today, is a sin since it’s a case of unnecessarily harming the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Meanwhile hairstyles are a cultural thing, which you can read about here.
In the New Testament, consider the example of Paul’s instructions to men concerning praying or prophesying without a head covering (a hat of some sort) wherein he exhorted women to do the opposite:
4Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved.
1 Corinthians 11:4-5
Is this a moral issue applicable to all believers in the New Covenant era or was it a cultural issue only relevant to that particular region of southern Greece in the 1st century? The answer is the latter as explained here. After all, does God only hear the prayers of males who aren’t wearing hats? Does God only regard the prayers of females who are wearing hats? Answering ‘yes’ to either is ludicrous. Christ didn’t say a peep about hats in his key statements about prayer, like Matthew 7:7, Mark 11: 24 and John 16:24. On the contrary, it’s purely a matter of faith, which is belief.
As far as tattoos go, if a person with tattoos turns to the Lord and receives spiritual regeneration (Titus 3:5), he or she is pretty much stuck with the tattoos. Sure, they can be removed through surgery, but it’s very costly, not to mention risky. Why bother if the tattoos are not profane or blasphemous? Particularly since there’s no New Testament prohibition against them (assuming they’re not connected to some immoral practice, like idolatry).
Should an established believer get a tattoo? It’s between the individual and the LORD; and, more specifically, the leading of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13 & Romans 8:14). If God calls a believer to be a witness to a particular community, including subcultures, its usually necessary to “become all things” to effectively reach them (1 Corinthians 9:22). Consider Paul’s instruction:
Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.
1 Corinthians 7:24
This is based on an obvious principle: The best people to reach a specific demographic are naturally those from that culture. Why? Because the people of that group can relate to them–they look the same, talk the same and so on.
This likewise applies to ear piercings and the wearing of earrings, as well as other such piercings and rings. While I have no piercings, my wife’s ears are pierced. Is this okay? In our culture, yes, assuming she follows the biblical parameters for a modest woman of God noted here.
If having tattoos, earrings, dreadlocks and other such haircuts aren’t prevalent in your area/culture then it’s a good idea not to have them or wear them if your purpose in Christ is to effectively reach as many people as possible with the truth, which would be hindered if people refuse to receive from you due to such items. However, if the LORD leads you to be a ‘witness‘ to a particular culture or subculture, do as you are led of the Spirit. This is the aforementioned “become all things” principle.
I personally don’t have tattoos and no part of my body is pierced. As for hairstyle, my head is completely shaved, so I usually wear some sort of head covering. Because I want to reach as many people as possible, I shoot for a generic, lowkey look. This brings up the approach ministries should take or not take in regards to the appearances of staff and believers in general…
Where do local assemblies draw the line in regard to style & dress at their services? Ideally, the population of any local assembly should reflect the cultural and racial demographics thereof. This was the case with a fairly large fellowship I was a member of for a decade during my youthful years as a believer. Not only did this assembly contain a good balance of people from the different ethnicities in the area, but culturally as well. For instance, subcultures were represented, such as bikers, metal/grunge aficionados and so forth. Many people dressed formally while others did not. This is healthy in light of this passage:
2Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
James 2:2-4
While these verses address discrimination based on income and the corresponding quality of apparel, the principle applies to our topic. We shouldn’t treat someone in fine apparel great and someone in grungy clothing contemptuously. Whether this is due to income status or cultural preference is irrelevant. The same applies to other items of appearance (again, assuming they’re not linked to immorality).
What about people dressed in too-scanty apparel? It’s a legitimate issue addressed here.
Lastly, there are some pastors who gear their ministry toward reaching a particular subculture. For instance, there’s a ministry in my area that focuses on reaching devotees of a particular style of music. Although this will naturally limit the kind of people they reach, and no doubt numbers as well, there’s nothing wrong with doing this if the Holy Spirit leads a minister thusly. A good example of this from the Bible is how Paul was led to focus on reaching the Gentiles of the eastern Mediterranean region whereas Peter concentrated on the Jews (Galatians 2:7).
Whatever the case, let’s not burden people with eye-rolling unbiblical rules, which Paul literally mocked in the Scriptures, led of the Holy Spirit:
20Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: 21“Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. 23Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
Colossians 2:20-23
Related Topics:
Law (Torah) — New Testament Believers are NOT Under the Law
Legalism — Understanding Its Many Forms
LEGALISM Creates Sheeple; CHRISTIANITY Creates Unique People
Libertinism — What’s Wrong with It and How to Walk FREE
How to Walk FREE OF THE FLESH by being Spirit-Controlled
God Exists in a State of TOTAL FREEDOM
Can Christians Drink Alcoholic Beverages?
comments powered by Disqus