Leviticus 19 is a hodgepodge of
interesting laws. Some laws make sense: don't steal, don't cheat, don’t
prostitute your daughter, don’t seek out spiritual mediums and don’t mistreat
foreigners.
Others are strange: don’t mate different
kinds of animals, don't plant two kinds of seed in the field, don't weave
together two kinds of fabric.
Mixed in all these laws is verse 28.
The context of the law had to do with certain cultic practices that worshiped
other gods - in this case cutting and tattooing. In that sense it was false
idol worship. God is asking that we
don't mark our bodies with unholy symbols.
(I think we can all agree that cutting our skin is bad for any reason).
Today, tattoos display a number of
different ideas. In a sense those tattoos worship the things of this
world. If you feel the need to glorify
anything above God, then those tattoos would be wrong.
So inking things on our skin isn't
wrong, but our motivation to tattoo may be. However, if you were to tattoo a
cross on your arm to show your love for Christ, why would that be bad?
This is the only place in the Bible
where tattoos are mentioned. The
principle of Leviticus 19 overall has to do with trying to blend two things
together that don't go together, in this case the things of the world and the
things of God.
The Bible asks that Christians not
display a love for the world above their love for God and to be separate from
the practices of this world.
With that in mind, tattooing can be a
way to display your love for the world above your love for God. For that reason, tattooing would be wrong.