From Michael
"Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD." Leviticus 19:28
I have always had a fascination with the Old Testament law, so I decided to start a recurring blog entry in which I give you a unique law to discuss. Hopefully, this will help the readers of this blog know what Paul is speaking of in Romans with his numerous “law” references. Also, dealing with the law will make all of us smarter about how we read the Bible, and this verse is a perfect example of why.
I like this law because it will really make a person think about the way they use the Bible at a practical level. Obviously there are people who condemn the use of tattoos all together for believers, but I reckon that most Christians don’t really have a problem with body ink.
Some will point out the first part of the verse which associates cutting with some kind of false religious practice, and then assume the second part of the verse is meant to dissuade a similar practice. We can therefore extract a principle like “don’t mark yourself such that you become associated with wicked things,” and if modern tattoos don’t associate you with something ungodly, then have at it and ink yourself up.But that’s not the way the law is given, as if you have the right to take it, find its deeper meaning and then apply that deeper meaning according to your own intellect. Did God give this law so that Israelites could just apply the principle behind it? If so, why not just give the principle? I personally have no doubt that God intended Israelites to be tattoo free, no matter what their reasoning was for getting a tattoo. And if I believe that should I not also believe that Christians should be tattoo free? If not, why not? Discuss among yourselves (ie POST A COMMENT BELOW).
-Michael
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4 comments:
This raises a good question about what we do with the law.
Should we just take it at face value and not look for the reason for the law (the underlying principle)?
Why don't we see this or any law as valid anymore? Why only see the 10 commandments as valid?
Well, maybe 9 commandments. Do we keep the Sabbath?
"God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are." -Acts 15:8-11
Let's say I'm a Gentile and I come to the saving knowledge of Christ. The Apostles (through guidance from the Holy Spirit) decided not to impose any other burdens on Gentile believers except for abstaining from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality Am I supposed to interpret their decree to include abstaining from getting tattoos? What about cutting the hair at the sides of my head or clipping the edges of my beard? Am to adopt those practices as well?
Maybe the law was given to Israel and not to Gentiles. I dunno.
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