I often get asked about the verse that seems to forbid tattoos, and it's a question every Christ-centered tattoo artist should be ready to answer with clarity and grace.
The verse in question is Leviticus 19:28:
"You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD."
Yes, on its own, it looks like a clear command. But that would mean we have to read the verse before it: Which states we can't cut our hair or trim our beards. Surely we are allowed to cut our hair right? I mean you can't just choose what verses you like to obey.
The Immediate Context (Leviticus 19:27-28)
The laws in this section were given to Israel to make them holy—set apart from the pagan nations around them. The practices God forbids are directly connected to the idolatrous rituals of the surrounding cultures:
-
Leviticus 19:27 (Reference): "You shall not round the corners of your heads, nor shall you mar the edges of your beard." (This is a prohibition against specific pagan mourning or idolatrous hair and shaving styles.)
-
Leviticus 19:28 (The Tattoo Verse): "You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD." (A prohibition against cutting and marking the body as a ritualistic sign of mourning for the dead or in devotion to false gods.)
The Conclusion: Old Covenant Law vs. New Covenant Principle
The commands in Leviticus were part of the Mosaic Law—the Old Covenant given specifically to the nation of Israel. When Jesus came, He fulfilled that Law (Matthew 5:17).
As New Testament believers, we are no longer bound by the ceremonial and civil laws (like not eating pork, mixing fabrics, or prohibitions about hair and shaving). Instead, we live by a higher principle of the New Covenant:
-
1 Corinthians 10:23 states: "All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful."
-
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 states: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit... Therefore, glorify God in your body."
Our Kingdom Ink. Stance
The biblical principle that guides us is simple: Everything we do must bring glory to God.
I believe that tattoos today are a neutral form of art. A tattoo is a sin only if it is done with sinful motives, or if the subject matter directly dishonors the Lord.
That is why Kingdom Inc. is so convicted about our boundaries:
-
We will not tattoo: anything demonic, new age, magic, occult, or any symbol dedicated to a false god. We will not use our art to mark a body for the devil or to promote a counterfeit spirituality, because I believe God, the Bible, and Jesus are real, and therefore, the devil and demons are real too.
-
We will tattoo: anything that is simply decorative, meaningful, uplifting, or explicitly Christ-centered. We use our art to adorn the temple God gave us and to glorify the One True God whom we worship.
If your tattoo honours God, it honors the temple. That is the true principle of faith and freedom in Christ!
