The question of whether Christians should get tattoos generates more heat than light in most conversations. You’ve got verses being thrown around as proof texts, opinions masquerading as biblical absolutes, and cultural preferences being confused with divine commands.
Meanwhile, you’re just trying to figure out if that tattoo you’re considering or already have is actually sinful, and you’re getting wildly different answers depending on who you ask. Some Christians insist tattoos are clearly forbidden. Others have full sleeves and see no conflict with their faith.
What makes this topic frustrating is that Scripture doesn’t address modern decorative tattoos directly. The one verse everyone quotes is from Levitical law in a context about pagan mourning rituals, not about artistic self-expression. So you’re left trying to figure out whether Old Testament ceremonial laws apply to Christians, what principles might transfer even if specific commands don’t, and whether the issue is the tattoo itself or the heart motivation behind it. You want biblical guidance, not just people’s opinions about what looks appropriate for Christians.
These verses explore what Scripture actually says about tattoos, body modification, and the broader principles about how believers should treat their bodies and make decisions in gray areas.
Bible Verses About Tattoos
1. Leviticus 19:28 – Do Not Cut Your Bodies
You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord.
New King James Version (NKJV)
2. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – Do You Not Know That Your Bodies
Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
New Living Translation (NLT)
3. Romans 14:23 – But Whoever Has Doubts Is Condemned
But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
New International Version (NIV)
4. 1 Samuel 16:7 – But the Lord Said to Samuel
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
5. 1 Peter 3:3-4 – Do Not Let Your Adornment Be Merely Outward
Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
New King James Version (NKJV)
6. Romans 12:1 – Therefore, I Urge You
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
New International Version (NIV)
7. Colossians 2:16-17 – So Don’t Let Anyone Condemn You
So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.
New Living Translation (NLT)
8. 1 Corinthians 10:31 – So, Whether You Eat or Drink
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
9. Romans 14:1-3 – Accept the One Whose Faith Is Weak
Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.
New King James Version (NKJV)
10. 1 Corinthians 8:9 – Be Careful, However
Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
New International Version (NIV)
11. Galatians 6:17 – From Now On, Let No One Trouble Me
From now on, don’t let anyone trouble me with these things. For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus.
New Living Translation (NLT)
12. Matthew 15:11 – What Goes Into Someone’s Mouth
It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.
English Standard Version (ESV)
13. Deuteronomy 14:1 – You Are the Children of the Lord
You are the children of the Lord your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave the front of your head for the dead.
New King James Version (NKJV)
14. 1 Timothy 4:8 – For Physical Training Is of Some Value
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
New International Version (NIV)
15. Philippians 4:8 – Finally, Brothers and Sisters
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
New Living Translation (NLT)
16. Romans 14:13 – Therefore Let Us Not Pass Judgment
Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.
English Standard Version (ESV)
17. 1 Corinthians 6:12 – All Things Are Lawful for Me
All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
New King James Version (NKJV)
18. Matthew 23:23 – Woe to You, Teachers of the Law
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
New International Version (NIV)
19. Proverbs 31:30 – Charm Is Deceptive
Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.
New Living Translation (NLT)
20. Colossians 3:17 – And Whatever You Do
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
English Standard Version (ESV)
21. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 – Do You Not Know That You Are the Temple
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
New King James Version (NKJV)
22. Galatians 5:1 – It Is for Freedom That Christ Has Set Us Free
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
New International Version (NIV)
23. Titus 2:10 – And Not to Steal from Them
Don’t steal from them. Instead, show them that you can be completely trusted. Then you will bring honor to the teaching about God our Savior in everything you do.
New Living Translation (NLT)
24. Mark 7:15 – There Is Nothing Outside a Person
There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.
English Standard Version (ESV)
25. 2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore, If Anyone Is in Christ
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
New King James Version (NKJV)
26. 1 Corinthians 10:23 – I Have the Right to Do Anything
“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.
New International Version (NIV)
27. Romans 12:2 – Do Not Conform to the Pattern
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
New Living Translation (NLT)
28. 1 Timothy 2:9-10 – Likewise Also That Women
Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.
English Standard Version (ESV)
29. James 4:17 – Therefore, to Him Who Knows
Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
New King James Version (NKJV)
30. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 – If I Speak in the Tongues
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
New International Version (NIV)
31. Psalm 139:14 – I Praise You Because
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
New Living Translation (NLT)
32. Matthew 6:25 – Therefore I Tell You
Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
English Standard Version (ESV)
33. Ezekiel 9:4 – And the Lord Said to Him
And the Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.”
New King James Version (NKJV)
34. Revelation 19:16 – On His Robe and on His Thigh
On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords.
New International Version (NIV)
35. Galatians 3:28 – There Is Neither Jew nor Gentile
There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Tattoos
Scripture’s direct prohibition on tattoos appears in Leviticus 19:28, within Old Testament law given to Israel. The context matters enormously here. This command appears alongside prohibitions against cutting hair at the temples, trimming beards, and mixing fabrics, all practices connected to pagan worship and mourning rituals. Christians generally don’t apply these specific Levitical laws today because Christ fulfilled the ceremonial law. If we’re going to enforce the tattoo prohibition, we need to consistently apply all the surrounding commands, which almost no one does.
The broader biblical principles are more useful for navigating this question. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which means how you treat it matters. But that principle applies to tattoos no more or less than to obesity, sleep deprivation, or any other physical choice. The call to glorify God in everything you do, to avoid stumbling blocks, and to act from faith rather than doubt provides a better framework than legalistic prohibition.
What matters most is motivation and conscience. Are you getting a tattoo to honor God, to mark something significant, to express your identity in Christ? Or are you doing it to rebel, to fit in with a crowd that doesn’t honor God, or while experiencing genuine conviction that it’s wrong for you? The heart issue matters more than the ink.
Say This Prayer
Father, I come to You with questions about tattoos and what honors You. Help me to navigate this issue with wisdom rather than legalism, with conviction rather than just cultural preference. Show me what’s actually biblical versus what’s just tradition or personal opinion. Give me discernment to understand when Old Testament commands apply to Christians today and when they don’t.
If I’m considering getting a tattoo, help me to examine my motivations honestly. Am I doing this to glorify You, or am I being driven by rebellion, peer pressure, or impulses I haven’t truly thought through? Give me wisdom to know if this is something You’re directing me away from or something that falls into the category of Christian freedom. Help me to honor You with my body in all ways, not just regarding tattoos but in how I treat my physical health overall.
Keep me from judging other believers who make different decisions than I do in this gray area. Help me to focus on the weightier matters of justice, mercy, and faithfulness rather than making external appearance the measure of someone’s spirituality. Whether I have tattoos or not, let my life honor You in ways that actually matter.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.