As a follower of Christ ; tattoos are something I have always struggled with.
In my former life I was a tattoo artist and I always used my art to bring attention to myself. ...Look at me everybody look what I can do...
But as a follower of Christ I gave it up because I was doing it for all the wrong reasons.
Its been 20yrs now and the more I learn about Gods grace the more I am able to appreciate the art and love the people. For some its all about the attention it brings to them but for some it really is an expression of who they are and the memories and experiences they want to share with the world...Only God knows their hearts and why they do what they do , its not my job to judge (Thank you Jesus) but to love them right where they are. Jesus didn't wait for me to get cleaned up before he accepted me or I would still be dead in my sin. "The Father showed His great love for us in that while we yet sinners, Christ died for us....

Revelations 19:16 reads - on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Maybe Jesus has a tattoo too .... I don't believe it matters. I mean unless you have some kind of satanic symbols, or words.

If inking your skin can undo him dying on the cross for you, then he is not worthy of worship. He is, because it is Finished.

Amen to that Gino! God doesn't see our flesh he sees our born again spirits. And you are so right. We can never out sin or out ink our bodies enuf to undo God's grace!!

Your statement doesnt seem to line up with Gods word concerning Judgement day at all. Have you read the bible?? We do receive grace..from those things we have turned from and asked forgiveness for...but we can not continue to do the things God is against and expect His grace to cover willful sin.

So you have never willfully sinned? Yes you have.If you say no then you are lieing. Actually all sin is willfully done whether you want to admit it or not. Jesus said that if you even think about sinning you have committed it. AND there is NO tier of bad to worse sins with God. If you broke one Law you've broken them all. THAT is why God sent us Jesus to be our "SAVIOR" cuz NO ONE can ever do good enuf or be good enuf to save ourslelves. ONLY JESUS could do that. and when he did it was MORE than enuf to cover past, present and future sins. And thank God it covers future sins. DO NOT say his Grace doesn't cover future sins cuz ALL our sins were future when Jesus died on the cross.

Am I saying to go sin on purpose with the attitude that I can cuz I'm saved? NO! Of course not. Sin has consequences. It hurts ourselves and others. THAT is the reason God doesn't want us to sin.
But once you are Born Again God sees you IN Jesus Righteousness NOT in your sinful flesh. He said "your sins I will remember no more" That's ALL sin, not just the ones you committed Before you were saved.

You were a sinner and God saved you, when you were bad. And now that you've accepted Christ you think you have to try and be good enuf?!!! NO! JESUS and what he did on the cross; HIS sacrifice makes you good enuf.

It is our spirits that will stand in judgment NOT our flesh. IF your spirit is re-born in Christ you have ALREADY been judged RIGHTEOUS IN JESUS!

The ONLY sin anyone will be judged for at the time of their death or when Jesus returns is the Rejection of Christ. NO other sin sends you to hell, but NOT accepting Jesus as your Lord and SAVIOR. Once you accept that GIFT of salvation, you are saved no matter what! UNLESS you decide you do not really believe in Jesus.

God's GRACE is MORE than enuf!!!

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil" 2 Corinthians 5:10

God forgives you for everything you do, but to his own judgement, truly, but in order for God to recieve you... "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" John 14:6 and Jesus means so much more than just an atonement, in order for us to get to heaven there is also a price, following Jesus's every command, doing as he would and striving to be the best person we can be. NEVER in the bible does he say that a man may go to heaven if he JUST believes, actually he says that "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead" James 2:14-26 Meaning that faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. The Bible offers the world so much truth, but to be selective about the bible, that allows for it to be manipulated for the convenience of man, BY NO MEANS was the bible created for the convenience of man, but for the salvation of man through his efforts, through his convictions, his love, and his intentions, God's love and Grace is eternal and embodies the entire universe, but his Grace is earned. Please, by saying all this I only wish for you to see the bible for all it has to offer, to allow any misinterpretation would be a sin, if any part of you believes me, or what I said, read the bible for yourself, thoroughly, take however long you need, see what everything could mean, don't take my word for it, by no means, I only hope to convey the lessons that have so much improved my life unto you. My church is so loving and willing to help, if you're in a search of any kind of answer(s), my church would be ever willing to answer them.

http://www.dtodayinfo.net/D...

Jordan, you are absolutely correct. Well said. I suspect we belong to the same church. God Bless.

How long, O Lord,must we put up with this nonsense?

Maybe I misunderstood your intent? :)

There is only one unforgivable sin.....unbelief in God's Son, Jesus Christ. He died on the cross for everyone's sins! We are forgiven! Grace comes through faith in Jesus Christ. We can't ever lose our salvation once we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. He died to give us Life, and give it abundantly! After that, we have everything we need for Life and Godliness! He put our sins behind Him, never to see them again. End of story! Their will be fruit, but we all fall short at times. Your are a forgiven person Brenda, even though you still are an imperfect person. That will not come until you die.

There I must disagree with you, Patti. If you read Matthew, Jesus says he can forgive such a sin. Even while He was being crucified, He forgave His executioners. However, Jesus said the Unforgivable Sin was to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people,but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or the age to come." (MT 12:31-32, NAB) Please be a bit more careful when you make such a generalized statement. God Bless.

right on!

???

When you become born again...You become a new creature in Christ...So why would someone want to continue to sin by marking their body like the world does ?..Grace does not give you a license to continue to sin ...Truly Grace calls you to a higher standard ..The law showed what sin is...Example of the higher calling...Found in Matthew...Jesus told the people...The law said do not commit adultery..But I tell you if you look upon a woman and lust you have committed adultery..Also..JESUS / GOD wrote the Bible from Genesis to Revelations...You except all the WORD or the whole book would become a lie if there is one false statement..People aren't looking for foregiveness..They are looking for acceptance to their life style.

I consider my body as a canvas to preach the good news of the Gospel. I mark my body to reach those that the world considers unworthy. You are judging every single person with a tattoo. Doesn't it also say in John 7:24 "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgement." or how about James 4:12, "There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?" I am not looking for acceptance, for I know most will never understand. I am following Christ's example. I am new in Christ, and I follow his word.

The higher standard is what is supposed to happen, yes I agree 100%. We are both on the same path.

Genesis to Malachi, Jesus came to change. You accept those books as the way it used to be, sure. If anyone claims that they hold everything in those books to the word, they would be in jail, or already put to death.
Matthew - Revelations, if it says it, then that's what is.

I just do not think that writing on yourself, or eating pulled pork sandwiches, and having bacon wrapped shrimp will send you to hell. I may be wrong.

ROMANS 14
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master[a] that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

No, If you research the wardrobe and the culture of the text you refer to, dig in to the word ... you will see it is making refrence to a garment like a belt on a robe... hanging down his thigh. Thats why it says first on his robe and then on his thigh...he has on a "robe like garment" and on the sash hanging down his thigh it says...King of Kings and Lord of Lords... ;)

@Brenda

Awesome post... Ignorant people who get offended BEFORE the wink will blame the wink- so don't let that ruse fool you. Sadly nothing you can do for the wicked who take truth to be hard; you are just trying to relay it. Thanks

Wow, you don't have to go ahead and call people ignorant for misinterpreting something.

Just so you know, putting smiley and winky faces at the end of posts like those makes you sound condescending and rude. Those aren't exactly christlike attributes. I sure hope you don't act like that when you talk to non-believers. Attitudes like yours are why people hate Christianity so much. Maybe you should try concerning yourself more with Jesus' teachings and the basic foundation of Christianity than in depth research about what garments people wear in a dream.

Wow. You don't think the way you're talking to her is "condescending and rude"? I use winks and smiles to assure the person I'm conversing with understands I'm NOT trying to be rude. Telling other people off, on the other hand....

Tattoos are asinine, all your babbling aside

People with asinine in their vocabulary are usually assh****; all your pontificating aside.

GOD can and does forgive you !..But when you are saved...You become a new creature in CHRIST...So why would you want to continue in your old life style ?..( By marking your body ) The Bible does speak about marking your body as the world does...Christians are to be different..Not look like the world..GOD"S GRACE does give you a license to continue to sin...Revelations 19:16 talks about HIS vesture....Have you ever seen a Prayer Shawl ?...That's what will cover HIS thigh....We are to love the person..But to be in agreement with their sin is not Bibical...

Bingo! Nothing we can do in our flesh can undo what Christ's has done for His elect.

The word Tattoo is Polynesian and that art form is not what is referred to in the Old Testament. there are many more recent translations that use that word. The reference is to the practice of "Marks for the dead". In the middle east at that time it was a common pagan practice at funeral cremations for mourners to cut themselves and rub the ashes into the cuts to leave a permanent mark, so the person would carry the deceased with them for the rest of their lives. Believers in Yahweh were not to practice this custom

give up these idiots know "THE TRUTH" and being true beweevers wont let facts get in the way of their fantasy.

Preachity preachity preach preach. This isn't a forum for conversion.

Whiney whiney whine whine. Speaking about his faith isn't going to magically convert you. I think you've read too many books about vampires as a child.

You made me laugh. In a good way

and he's read that boringly long mythology and taken it as fact. Which it is not. Whole swaths of it are straight out of Mesopotamian mythology. But do go on, you fantasists are amusing.

Can you say what you need to say without the excessive aggressiveness? It only instigates conflict.

Can you just say what you need without the excess bashing? I don't see what you're trying to prove.

Actually, it's not your forum to dictate what it is or isn't. Stop censoring people. And stop being so afraid of being converted. If God has you in His sight, there ain't nuthin' you can do 'bout.

Please don't talk to any more non-believers. You're just going to ruin any chance of them getting to know God's love. Yet another example of why people hate Christianity. You could have just stopped after stop censoring people. You actually made a good point there.

First...I wasn't witnessing. Second, you don't have the spiritual authority to tell anyone to stop witnessing. Who are you tell someone that God can't use them? And if THIS is your ideal of why people hate Christianity...you have GOT to get your head out of the sand.

Amen!

A man at my doctors office was very very tattooed. He was explaining the changes he had made to tattoos after he was saved. Hecwas remorseful he had them but way too many to remove.

Bless your heart, I couldn't have said it better.

I almost got a tiger tattooed on my butt.

Fortunately, my then-girlfriend reminded me that I was drunk, and convinced me to wait until I was sober before making the final decision.

My wife, if she ever meets that woman, is going to thank her profusely.

LOL! That is funny!!

If you got your tattoo in a back alley in some 3rd world country as a Marine while bombed on cheap liquor, where a guy with rotten teeth used green ink and needles dipped in whiskey (at least it looked like whiskey) for disinfectant and it hurt like h*ll, then I think there is some mystique (still not real smart) and macho manliness to that "old school" tattoo. But if you went to the same shop that paints butterflies on teen-aged girls above their butt while they're posting selfies to Facebook, then you're just following another fad of pop-culture. And think Miley Cyrus and Madonna as representative of pop-culture. Also, think about the fact that the tattoos on your lower back when you're 18, will be near the bottom of your butt by the time you're 65. If you really want to rebel and swim against the tide and stand out and be different, then it's becoming more and more obvious that NOT getting inked may be the way to go.

Now, my son has tattoos and, I think, one of my daughters might, though she's not admitted it to me. They are both adults - it's their business, as it is with anyone who wants one. Go for it - it's your right. Just know that not everyone looks at your tattoos with the same awe and admiration that you do. And that's our right too.

Such as employers....and I also have to wonder why so many people sitting in courtrooms waiting for their arraignments are always covered in tattoos and piercings....

incredible art work to say the least.

Covering up that hot mess? I agree.

the tattoo work was impressive. i personally dont care for tattoos but it is known as body art for good reason if done right.

Well, I suppose the accurate skin tone on such a large amount of surface area is neat too, but I was referring to the tattoos.

I don't care about tats...but based on what this kid did to himself, he is incredibly broken...

Call it art if you like but when I'm around someone covered in tattoos it makes my skin crawl and makes them look dirty. You don't like the way I feel tough. I don't like the way you look.