If the lord wanted us to have tattoos he would have put them on us in the womb. In the OT it says we were made in God’s image not the worlds so why are Christians graffiti-ing themselves when we are made in his image. Are we the potter or the clay. Or does the clay now think he is the potter and can mark Gods image and creation? In Leviticus 19 God clearly said do not tattoo yourself yet today’s Christians are choosing to ignore this. Further in the same chapter it is clearly written that we do not turn to mediums and necromancers, that you are not to sleep with your fathers wife, nor your uncles, to not swear falsely by his name etc yet why is it that we choose not do these things yet look to tattoo ourselves. Did the lord not speak it, in Due 8:3 and in Matthew 4:4 man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Or does this no longer apply any more, are we saying the lord is a hypocrite, that he can change his mind, if God has spoken it then does it not apply all the time? Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He spoken, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Or how about Hebrews -13:8 God is the same yesterday, today and forever, or Malachi 3:6 For I am the lord I do not change. Grace is not a gift for us to do what we want, Grace is a gift for us to change who we are to become, so we can transform ourselves to be like Jesus not to become or look like the world. He told us to come out of the world not blend in and be the same. Did he not say in James 4:4 adulterers and adulteresses know you not that friendship with the world is enmity with God. Did he not say in 1 John 2:15? Do not love the world or things of the world. But I’m hearing you say, yes yes but those commands were in the Old Testament but I ask you is it not the same God in the OT as in the NT. Did not the same God tell you in Deuteronomy 6:5 to love the lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your strength or has that changed in the NT. Did not the same God in the OT say in Jeremiah 31:33 that I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts, did not the same lord say in Ezekiel 11: 19-20 give them a heart of flesh that they walk in my statutes and keep my ordinances and do them, in Ezekiel 36:26-27 not say I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes you and you will keep my judgements. Does not Hebrews 8:11 refer to Jeremiah 31 and does not Hebrews 10:16 not say I will put my laws into their hearts and in their minds I will write them. Rightly we are not under the law of works but under the law of liberty which has an even higher calling. If your eye causes you to sin pluck it out, if your hand causes you to sin cut it off. The letter kills but the spirit gives life, did he not say in John 14:15 if you love me you will obey all my commandments. Is it not written in the Romans 13:14 do not give provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. In Matthew 10 and Mark 8 the Word says we are to deny ourselves and pick up our cross everyday and follow him. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. If you love your spouse more than me you are not worthy of me, if you love your children more than me your not worthy of me, now if you are putting Jesus before your own family yet tattooing yourself, it must mean you think you are above Jesus. Jesus said your body is not your own, he paid the price for it. But for you to tattoo it, cut and mark it you must think it still your body rather than knowing your cutting and marking his body. It’s clear your life must still be about you, your not denying yourself you are in fact making yourself the idol… not Jesus. So we come back to the beginning of what God spoke. Do not tattoo or cut yourself. In plain and simple language if you tattoo yourself who are you focusing on, who is on your throne Jesus or you, who are you choosing Barabus or Jesus, it must be Barabus cause it’s about you and not Jesus, it’s about you still conforming to the world, its about you marking and putting graffiti on God’s perfect canvas, tainting his image. Now I hear a different tact, I hear you say, you are judging me by the outside, not the inside, but what I hear is self righteousness and rebellion, rather than a contrite heart for not fearing the lord enough to do what is right by him not right by you. I can graft you in and I can cut you off so sayeth the lord. Repent and pray for forgiveness and pray over your tattoo which God sees as a blood sacrifice to Satan and to a demon of slavery. Do not follow a luke warm Gospel but follow Jesus. John 8:32 If you remain in my word you are truly my disciples, you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. Amen