Leviticus 19:28
The verse in the Bible that most Christians make reference to is Leviticus 19:28, which says,”You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord.” So, why is this verse in the Bible?

The Hebrew prohibition is based on interpreting Leviticus 19:28—”Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you”—so as to prohibit tattoos, and perhaps even makeup. Under this interpretation, tattooing is permitted to Jews and Christians.

Most people on the side against body piercing use Leviticus as an argument that body piercing is a sin. There are stories in the Old Testament of nose piercings (Rebecca in Genesis 24) and even piercing the ear of a slave (Exodus 21). Yet there is no mention of piercing in the New Testament.

The Bible ’s answer. The Bible mentions tattoos just once, at Leviticus 19:28, which says: “You must not put tattoo marking upon yourselves.” God gave this command to the nation of Israel, thus setting them apart from the neighboring peoples who marked their skin with the names or symbols of their gods.

Many people wear a semicolon tattoo indicating they stand with survivors of suicide and people who suffer from mental health concerns. “No matter the type of brokenness — physical or mental — Christian identity is found not in a diagnosis, but instead in our position as redeemed children of God ” ( Romans 8:16 –17).

In either case, getting a tattoo is an act of unbelief. Tattoos borne out of self-hatred are legacies of darkness rather than light. The Father wants His children to bear fruit, and a fruitful life is repentant.

Early in the history of Christianity as it spread from Rome into the rest of the world, “tattooing was severely frowned upon.” In fact, “Pope Hadrian banned tattooing, stating that God made man’s body in his image and to deface it in any way was to deface God’s gift.”