The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast) - Are Tattoos a Sin?

Episode Date: June 17, 2022

Is it a sin to get a tattoo? In today’s episode, Jeff responds to this very common and sometimes controversial question. Jeff offers Scriptural references, Church teaching, and great points to ponder concerning the topic of tattoos. Snippet from the Show Tattoo your heart with the love of Christ. Email us with comments or questions at [e-mail]. Text “jeffcavins” to 33-777 to subscribe and get Jeff’s shownotes delivered straight to your email! Or visit ascensionpress.com/thejeffcavinsshow for full shownotes!

Welcome to the Jeff Kaven Show, where we talk about the Bible, discipleship, and evangelization, putting it all together and living as activated disciples. This is show 275. Our tattoos a sin? Okay, so I get mail every week from people all over the country, actually all over the world. get a number of questions. And this, this question this week that I'm going to go over with you is probably one of the, well, at least it's one of the top 10. It might be one of the top five. I'm not sure. But it is the question our tattoos a sin to get. And we're going to talk about that today because there's no doubt that many of my friends, you perhaps, are experiencing this decision-making process right now. Do you want a tattoo? Or are you already got it?

a tattoo. So we're going to talk about that and hopefully shine some light on that decision making so that it will make a difference in your life. And of course, the big question is our tattoos a sin. So we'll take a look at that in just a minute. This whole topic, which I mentioned, is one that's been asked for a long, long time. But the reason I'm enter a reason that I'm going to be talking about it now is that the daughter of a very close friend of mine got in touch with me and asked Jeff, can I talk to you? I want to talk to you about is a tattoo a sin. And I said, you know what? Let's have a cup of coffee. So we got a cup of coffee and we talked about it for about an hour or so. And today's message with you is what I

said. And I have all kinds of notes on this because I've been keeping track of this for a long time. You know, I've got notes from the catechism. I got notes from the Bible. I got notes from Christopher West, Theology of the Body, a man, a Protestant pastor, Piper. I got all kinds of different sources that I've been able to gather together to help me think about this. And you know in the last two weeks I've been talking a lot about thinking, well, this is one of those topics that I have I've thought about deeply, you know, because I've got children, I've got three grandchildren, and my children have asked me these questions, and no doubt my grandchildren, they may ask these questions as well. Should I, should I get a tattoo? Maybe you have

pressure at home. You know, maybe your parents have said, I don't want you getting a tattoo. In fact, if you get a tattoo, you're not living here. You get a tattoo, I'm not paying tuition. You get a tattoo you and not buying that car, whatever it might be, and you might be in the midst of it right now. So if you like it, pass it on to your folks. All right. So by way of introduction, let me also say, if you want any of the scriptures I'm going to give you today, you can get them if you don't get the show notes. All you got to do is type my name, Jeff Kaven's, one word, and that goes to 33777. That's two threes and three-sevons. Three-three-seven. we'll get you on the bandwagon here and we'll get to you the notes every single week. Okay. So let's take a look at this. Okay. Now, if you follow my show, you know that I think it was three years ago or something like that. I spoke on this topic a little bit. But I think that my understanding, because of the deep thinking, is deeper now. It's deeper. And I think more

comprehensive and I'm more satisfied with the answer that I have now. And that only comes from, you know, prayer and research and talking and I guess getting a little bit older. I looked in the mirror. There are a couple more gray hairs. So it's worth listening to. Okay. So the question is, are tattoos a sin?

So let's take a look at that first of all on the first half of this show. And then on the second half, let's look at some things that you should consider if you actually end up getting a tattoo. So the major scripture, in fact, the only one that I'm aware of that really talks about tattoos is Leviticus 1928. Leviticus 1928, and it goes like this. It says, do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord. That's it.

Right there. There it is. That's the whole teaching right there. Do not cut your bodies for the dead. put tattoos and marks, tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord. All right. So let's first of all look at this in the context for a moment. First of all, you've got to go back and you've got to look at where Israel is at. Israel, when the book of Leviticus comes on the scene, Israel has been in Egyptian bondage for 400 years. And God, through Moses, is going to lead them out of bondage

into freedom. And so the Exodus is the event that opens up their freedom, and they go through the Red Sea and out, and they end up in the desert. But because of their hardness of heart and their unwillingness to trust God and to go up and take the promised land, they ended up wandering for 40 years in the desert. And after that 40-year period, Joshua was going to lead him into the promised land crossing the Jordan. But the book of Leviticus was given to them after they were free from 400 years of Egyptian bondage. Now, during those 400 years, they became addicted to the Egyptian ways. It could be food. It could be worship. It could be music. It could be, you name it. They were addicted to Egyptian idolatry. And part of the Egyptian idolatry appears to be related

to the cutting of the body for the dead, some type of intercessory role for the dead, or putting tattoo marks on yourselves. That's the cultural thing back then. So God is trying to get his first born among the nations, Israel, free from Egypt, free from association, free from addiction, free from things that would tie them to,

Egypt. And apparently the tattoo marks were part of it. Okay. Now, you've got to keep that, you know, in mind when you're looking at tattoos and this whole idea of leaving Egypt, right? You know, leaving Egypt. So, we have to ask ourselves the question about this. Number one, is it a sin? No. Getting a tattoo is not. a sin, but it might be a bad idea. And I'm going to give you my thoughts on this and kind of my suggestions as a big brother and what I would say from the scriptural standpoint in the church's teaching. But when you become a Christian, when you become a follower of Jesus, your entire life

belongs to Jesus. You are his. You have been, in a sense, purchased, not in a sense, I guess. I mean, literally speaking, you have been purchased by Jesus. The blood of the lamb has purchased you. And so you're not your own. You belong to the Lord. Just like with finances, you are a steward of the finances.

It's not yours. And the same with your body. You have been redeemed. Okay. So I think the first thing you have to do is to understand when you go into this topic and you weigh this and you discern, you've got to understand that you're not yours. All right. So whatever you do to yourself, if you're going to do it, you have to,

to do it as someone who belongs to the Lord. It's not just an individual decision that you have to make. And I can, you know, my body, my tattoo. I'm kind of tired of that. But, you know, you can't have that same attitude when it comes to tattoos. You belong to the Lord. Now, the apostle Paul, he had this understanding that his body was already marked for Jesus. And what he was talking about there was he was talking about what he went through. You know, he was beaten and he was whipped and he was abused for the sake of the gospel. And he says in Galatian 6, he says henceforth, let no man trouble me, for I bear on my body the marks of Christ. I bear on my body the marks of Christ. That's a very powerful type of marking of the body that you have suffered and you went

through persecution because of the gospel of the Lord. So number one, number two, whatever we're on. No, tattoo is not a sin. Can you put sinful things on your body? Yes, you sure can. Now, when I say that it is not a sin, I also want you to know that that doesn't mean that it's just okay to go ahead and do it. As I said, you don't belong to yourself. You belong to the Lord. So if you're going to do it, you've got to go through a tremendous discernment here on what the Lord wants you to do with your body. And you have to remember all along, and I would point you over to Christopher West on this and the theology of the Body Institute that he runs over there in Philadelphia. It does a phenomenal job.

I was just out there and wow, what a group of people. And basically what they're doing is drawing their teachings from John Paul II who said the body has a theology all of its own. It says something. Your body says something all by itself. You don't have to tat it up. You don't have to add ink. You don't have to dot the eyes, cross the T's on your body.

Your body says something right now. Right now it says something. That is so important to get a hold of when we talk about a tattoo. So some things that you have to consider. As I said, I've been collecting this for a while and thinking about it. Am I doing this as an outward expression of an inward conversion? That's something you have to think about. Am I doing this as an outward expression of an inward conversion?

Or is my desire to get a tattoo the result of a desire to be accepted by society. It's very popular right now. I know it is, for sure. Is my desire to get a tattoo the result of a desire to be accepted by society, the society that I live in?

In other words, is it cool? Or am I going to send a message to people that, yeah, I'm hip, I'm with you, and yeah, I'm going to do that too. So I would caution you if you are thinking about getting a tattoo because you want to be accepted. And you know why? Because you are accepted. And you're accepted by the most important person in the world. And that's the Lord. You are accepted by him. And again, I'll go back. Your body is his. And you have to ask yourself, do I want to look like the society that I live in? And do I want to fit in it and be accepted in it versus the affirmation of God? Someone will say, well, can't you have both? Well, you certainly can have both.

but do you understand now and are you walking in the affirmation of God right now or is there something missing? Is there something that you think that tattoo is going to fill in your life that Jesus Christ is not right now? Now in the Old Testament there were there's two instances one's Ezekiel 16 the other is Isaiah 2. Ezekiel 16 God adorns his bride Israel with bracelets and gold and jewelry. So you have this example of God. adorning his bride Israel in the Old Testament. So this idea of adorning, of wearing jewelry, the what we do to our bodies, women with the eye makeup and the lipstick and the earrings and so forth. Cool. But it says God adorned Israel with bracelets and jewelry and so forth. Yet in

Isaiah, specifically Isaiah chapter 2, God chastises Israel and corrects Israel for their self-centered adornment, the way they look at themselves, the way they draw attention to themselves, and they use it as a lure for wrong. So you have both of those in the Old Testament. God adorns his bride. God's bride adorns herself and takes advantage and gets into trouble. So the same jewelry is in one situation, an extremely positive thing where as in Isaiah, it's a negative thing. So it comes down to the heart and your relationship with God. Now, looking a little bit at the New Testament here, and I've got these in the show notes, and they're almost ready to come out of the oven, so I'll get them sent to you. First Timothy tells

women that they should, this isn't First Timothy 2, by the way, verses 9 through 10 if you're in the car, I'm going to give this to you. First Timothy tells women that they should adorn themselves with what is proper for women who professed Jesus Christ as Lord. People who profess godliness and they profess that that god runs their life you know that god is the one who is leading and directing them and here's what he says uh that women slash men should adorn themselves modestly and sensibly in seeming and in seemly apparel not with braided hair not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly attire but by good deeds as befits women who profess religion now hold that thought and combine it with first peter chapter three versus three and four

where peter says he says let he's speaking to women again he says let not yours be the outward adorning with braiding of hair decoration of gold and wearing of fine clothing but let it be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit which in god's sight is very precious. Okay, so between Timothy, 1 Timothy 2 and 1 Peter chapter 3, you have this instruction, and the instruction, by the way, doesn't say not to adorn yourself. It doesn't say don't adorn yourself. It's talking about the comparison between, in other words, it's not saying, women, don't braid your hair. Women, don't wear earrings. Women, don't use makeup. Women, don't buy fine dresses women don't you know get your nails done whatever it's not saying that at all

what it is doing however is it is comparing the adornment the external adornment and the internal adornment and it's putting a priority on the internal adornment and so yes women do adorn themselves men adorn themselves to a degree not as much as women because I think that this is something that women, it's built in. It's this beauty and that women are beautiful, you know, and they want to be beautiful. Most women do. You don't have to write me and say, I'm not one of those. I don't care.

Well, most women, they want to be beautiful. So what Paul's telling Timothy and what Peter is saying is that, no, let your adornment, the priority, be the adornment of the heart, the middle, the inner adornment. and that that inner adornment is the good deeds and and peter says that it is a quiet spirit a gentle a gentle spirit it's imperishable jewelry imperishable jewelry and uh and that so that that's an important thing to to consider another question that you might want to think about is does the tattoo express all that that god is that's the fruit of the spirit and the character of God rather than the spirit of this age and the enemy. In other words, does it express things like gentleness and kindness and mercy, love, and

forbearance? But I think that one of the big questions to answer, honestly, is your desire to get a tattoo to, number one, fit into society or not? Number two, to express a radical individualism, which I don't think is of God. To express radical individualism, I'm different. Look at me. I don't think that that is the heart of God, you know, personally, to do that. So what I'm going to do is take a break.

When I come back, I want to share with you some things to think about. There are some really good things to think about. And the last one, number five, is really important. I mean, really important, and it's not something that people think about very often. You're listening to The Jeff Kaven Show. Every one of us is made in the image of God. We are unique, worthy of love, and called to greatness. In this world, though, we can be distracted from that truth and begin to doubt God's love is real.

You see, we live in a world that tells us we are not smart, attractive, thin, or rich enough. It is easy to focus on the ways we fall short of worldly perfection and forget that we are already made perfect. We are already enough. I'm Danielle Bean, author of You Are Enough, what women of the Bible teach you about your mission and worth. You Are Enough dives into the stories of women in the Bible so that you can fully see God's plan for your life. To order, visit visit Ascensionpress.com or Amazon. We're talking about tattoos, and specifically, are tattoos a sin? And there is nothing in the Bible. There's nothing in church teaching that would say that having a tattoo is sin.

There just isn't anything. So that answers that question. If you have a tattoo right now, don't be over-scrupulous. You're not going to hell because you have a a tattoo. You don't have to worry about that. And if you're thinking about getting a tattoo, now in the second half of the show, I've got some things for you to think about that I think are really, really important. I really do. Okay. So number one, to really think about, you've got to ask yourself, is there an inordinate focus on self and culture? An inordinate focus on self and culture, this radical individualism, the focus on my truth. Now, this is running rampant in the world today. And you know it. You probably know it better than I do, you know, because you're, you know,

if you're, you know, in your 20s or 30s right now, in your teens, you know, this is a big Trump card right now. And that is, you know, I've got to be, I've got to be faithful to my truth. I've got to express my truth. I have to own my truth. I need to, my truth, my truth. So you have to ask yourself when it comes to tattoos, is this simply a billboard for my truth? Or is this Jesus truth? Is it Jesus truth? And is it something that needs to be put on your arm or your leg or your back or, you know, your neck? And if this is a truth, could this truth be better communicated with your mouth, with your actions than simply a billboard? board on your flesh. Number two, you've got to remember that tattoos are permanent. They are

permanent. Well, I can get it taken off if I want to. Yeah, for more money than the tattoo cost, you know, to begin with. And from what I hear, I haven't had this done, but it kind of hurts. Okay. So remember, tattoos are permanent. It's, it is quite different than putting makeup on. I think makeup is a beautiful thing. And I said that earlier that this is a beautiful thing what women do. My little girls, when they were growing up, they wanted to put makeup on and play, and they wanted dresses, and they wanted to be feminine, and they wanted to be a princess. And, you know, I just thought it was absolutely wonderful to watch them and to express their femininity at such a young age. And so when they got older and they're all adults now,

they put on makeup and they get their hair done and their nails and so forth, but none of that's permanent. They can put on different types of perfume, one for every day of the week, and they can have their hair colored or whatever. They can do all kinds of different things. They're not permanent, but a tattoo is permanent, and cologne's not permanent, you know, for men, but, you know, getting a mullet. Anyway, I don't have a mullet. But if you want a mullet, it's going to go away someday. Some of you are saying, well, praise God. But my point is, is that a tattoo is permanent. These things are not. There's also, with this idea of permanence, you have to be careful. And I always caution people when they ask me about this regarding numbers. Numbers mean things.

Numbers mean things like anniversaries, your first date. Before you knew Christ, you might put a date on your arm for things that you're not that proud of right now. Well, you're going to make your future husband live with that date now? Really? Every time he comes in from wherever and he sees you in your bathing suit or whatever, and there's that number, there's that date, there's that number, there's that date. This goes for guys and girls, and I've seen this a lot. In fact, I do have a tattoo ministry.

I don't have a tattoo, but I have a tattoo ministry. And when I see people with tattoos, I ask them questions. And one of the ones I go after a lot are dates and numbers. And people will tell me what they mean. And sometimes it's very emotional. You know, they tell me that they had a youngster, a young boy, four years old, who died in a car accident. And that's the date of his birthday and that's the date of his death. And that meant something to that person.

You know, they were expressing something very, very, very important. So these names and dates have meaning, will your future spouse, appreciate the meaning. That's just something to think about. Remember, if you're not married and you think you're going to get married, you are being prepared for marriage. Will your future spouse appreciate the meaning? Even though you have Mr. Wright, you may discover that his middle name is always, but you might not be with him in three years. And then in five years from now, you meet your husband or you meet your wife. Will your future spouse appreciate the meaning? Will you have to get that tattoo removed as you walk? This is another one. I heard a minister say this one time.

He said, here's a good question. He said, will you have to get the tattoo removed as you walk through the pearly gates? Now, I'm going to let tattoos and pearly gates. I'm leaving that up to the Lord, the Holy Spirit, Peter, if he's actually the keeper of the gate. like people think he is, but it's just something to think about. Is this thing going to last in heaven? I'd be surprised if when we get to heaven, to be honest with you, if any tattoos show up, you know, if we get to heaven, I don't think they will, personally.

And anyway, so number three, number three, here's a good question. Thinking about getting a tattoo is the message of the tattoo. a permanent message in your life? Is the message a permanent message in your life? Is that duck with a heart on it going to be the message for the rest of your life? It's a good question, you know.

Is that fish that you got after doing shots of tequila? Is that going to be the message? for the rest of your life? It's a good question. Something to think about. Number four, you've got to remember that you're going to change. You'll not look the same in 30 years or 20 years or 40 years from now. You're not going to look the same as you do today.

And your body isn't going to be the same as it is today if you're 20 years old. I heard one minister say one time that he said that he thought that getting a tattoo could be, could be very naive thinking in thinking that you're going to like that when you're 60 years old and that your body is going to support those colors and that shape when you're 60 years old, you know? Will that little fish look like a whale when you're 40? You know? The problem is you're not going to necessarily like what you like today when you become 60, you know, and sometimes that's naive. Think for a moment.

And this is a good thing to think about. Think for a moment with me, my dear friend, think for a moment. Do you like today? I don't know how old you are exactly, but do you like today what you like today what you liked when you were 14? That might be only 10 years ago for you. That might be six years ago. That might be 20 years ago. I'll say it again, do you, do you like today what you liked when you were 14? I think it's doubtful. So you're going to change. The culture is going to change as well. It just is. That's the way life is.

And then, you know, what does the tattoo really say about you? What does it really say about you? Now, here's the fifth thing that I want to mention that I think is really, really important. And then I'm going to tell you what this young lady said to me at the end of the conversation. I thought it was rather enlightening. The last point that I want to bring across is this. tattoos for the most part they will not make you

more beautiful than you are today they will not enhance you and becoming handsome as a man that's not what tattoos do typically tattoos will take away from a natural beauty and from a natural handsomeness

that is a word they typically and and you can talk to people who are a little bit older about about this they typically become less desirable particularly as people get older they become less desirable with age and there's a number of reasons for this like color fade or your skin wrinkles um uh you know those those types of things but here's what i want to i want to show share with you is that men. I know this is getting very, very personal here, but it's the truth. And you can ask men about this. I'm not going to pretend to be a woman, never going to. And I'd have to ask women about this more specifically. But my guess is it's probably true. Let me know. Write me at the Jeff Kaven show at ascensionpress.com. Men find, okay, the skin of a human being is beautiful.

the skin of a human being is a masterpiece it's desirable the natural thing is to want to touch it it's beautiful it's desirable is the skin of a human being now men find women's skin desirable. It's a masterpiece. It is a canvas with no paint that is a masterpiece. If they could hang that masterpiece up in the living room, they would. A tattoo does not make you more desirable. In fact, it can get in the way of you being more desirable. Now, I share this with you, and that is that men and women both, your skin without anything on it, is very beautiful and desirable. And you need to think about that when it comes to intimacy with your future husband or your future wife. And remember this, and this is one of the things I shared with several

people I've shared this point with, and that is this, that when you get married, you're going to enter into a covenant with a guy or with a girl. And when you enter into that covenant, you are giving your body to that person. In a sense, you can say basically that I am yours. I am giving myself to you. I personally think that giving a blank canvas to your husband or to your wife is a beautiful thing. The message is, this was for you. I love you. I save this for you. And I said to two or three people when I was talking to them about this, I said, imagine your wedding day comes around and you get married. And that night, your honeymoon. And let's say hypothetically, your new husband says, you never got a tattoo. Why? And you look at your new husband and say,

because this, as you point to your body, was for you. I was waiting for you. That's why. Wow. Talk about a honeymoon. That is a very powerful thing. Now, there's no shame. There is no guilt if you have body tattoos or anything like that.

Do not get me wrong on that. I'm talking about people who are making decisions today. There's always opportunities to start over. But I think a beautiful thought is that I was saving myself for this point in my life to give my body to you as my spouse. I think that's a beautiful thing. Now, I want to share one more thing with you. If you're thinking about a tattoo, consider starting, this is good, consider starting first

with the heart rather than the body. Consider starting with the heart first rather than the body. What do I mean? Well, somebody, I guess, wrote a book, and I'm going to get it. I have not found it yet. It's called Tattoos of the Heart, and they were telling me about it. And it's about this idea of the tattoos of the heart that my heart is tattooed with the love of God. My heart has the tattoos of discipleship.

My heart has the tattoos of praise. My heart has the tattoos of worship, worshiping God. My heart is tattooed with the wisdom of God. so if you're into tattoos and you're thinking about it you might want to do yourself a favor by first starting with the tattoo on the heart what would you say if you could put a tattoo on your heart today what would it be what would you put on your heart

and try it try it go to a spiritual tattoo artist you can find one at any chapel adoration chapel you can go to any adoration chapel and they have spiritual heart tattooists. You know what I'm talking about. You can go there to the Adoration Chapel, sit before the Lord and say, Lord, right on my heart.

Right on my heart. So when people ask me, sometimes they'll say, do you have any tattoos? I don't have any physical ones, but I have several heart tattoos. That'd be a good t-shirt to wear. When it asks me about my heart tattoo. So tattoos of the heart first,

then go to the physical if you want to. But I think a good place to start is the tattoo of the heart. See if you like it. Get used to it. And then you can go from there. And I was sharing this with this young lady about the tattoo of the heart. And she said something so beautiful. She says, yeah, a guy could ask me, do you have any tattoos?

And she said, yeah, I could say to him, you know, the big guy of stairs stole my heart and I've got a tattoo. I thought that was that was pretty good. But here's what my friend shared with me and I'll close with this. This is what she shared with me at the end of our conversation that I thought was so insightful. She said, you know, after listening to you, she says, it's weird, isn't it? That the most, the most permanent thing we do is least thought about. hardly any thought put into that bird on your ankle, you know, or that lightning bolt behind your ear. Not a lot of thought, maybe a day or two or whatever, but it was the most permanent thing

you did in your life. The most permanent thing that we should be doing in our life is serving Christ and walking in his will. And I think that if we can put that permanent tattoo on our heart, that's a good starting point. Well, I hope this has been helpful in some way. I'd like to hear from you. My email is The Jeff Kaven Show. The The Jeff Kaven Show, all one word, the jeffcaven show at ascensionpress.com. I would like to hear from you. I really would. If we get together, you know, on one of our trips to Israel, one of our pilgrimages, maybe we can talk about it then.

But it's something everybody is talking about. It's something that most young youngsters, I say, you know, in junior high and so forth, they're going to face this, this question, and some have already, you know, made decisions about it. But hopefully this was helpful to you. So let's pray and ask God for wisdom, shall we? In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen. Jesus, we love you so much.

And, Lord, we know you purchased us. We know that you have you have ransomed us and redeemed us with your blood. We are yours. Body, soul, spirit, everything. And so, Lord, before we do anything, we come to you and ask you. We ask you. And, Lord, we thank you for leading us and guiding us in this endeavor, the possibility of a tattoo. And that's what we do, Lord.

we give it to you and we ask you to give us a peace or not about what we're thinking of. But Lord, help us to truly come up with tattoos at the heart. That we would really mark ourselves by what is eternal and important starting in our heart. I thank you also, Lord, for the tattoo ministry that you've given to so many of us using tattoos as an opening opportunity to talk to people about you. Lord, we just take a moment today in the midst of all the busyness to say we love you, we praise you, we give you glory, you are the creator of the world. There is so much beauty in you and you've created us and our skin with such beauty.

It's a masterpiece. The one thing that the world can really see our skin. So, Lord, give us wisdom as we go about this. May your will be done. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. God bless you. I love you. Pray for me and all. Continue to pray for you.