By Briana Bass, Christian Romance Author, Devotional Writer & Certified Professional Coach

No, you aren’t damned if you get a tattoo or a piercing. In fact, the Bible says nothing against tattoos or piercings. Those against tattoos often argue Leviticus 19:28 prohibits tattoos but most Biblical scholars argue that verse refers to pagan mourning practices, which would have been condemned by the ancient Israelites.

If you want to pierce your ears, do it. If you want a nose piercing or a belly button piercing, do it. If you want a tattoo sleeve, do it. Cultural norms may not always look favorably on tattoos and piercings, but cultural norms also change from generation to generation.

What doesn’t change is the fact that God created you. And created you in His image. You were created to look like a divine being. Pretty cool, right? There is divinity within you, and the divine is beautiful. Divinity deserves to be adorned accordingly.

Your Body is a Work of Art

While church interior design varies wildly, many cathedrals around the world are exquisitely and expensively decorated. If physical places of worship can be luxurious spaces to worship the Lord, then why not decorate our bodies, which are filled with the Holy Spirit? As written in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (KJV).

Your body is a temple for the Lord. Decorate it in a manner befitting your worship and your relationship with God. Wear makeup, curl your hair, get that butterfly tattoo on your ankle. Self-expression is a way of acknowledging your uniqueness, and your uniqueness is a gift from God. Celebrate that gift!

For many people, their tattoos have a special meaning behind them. A tattoo could honor a loved one. Maybe they have tattoos representing all the places they have lived. Their tattoos tell a story. Your body tells the story of your life. There is nothing wrong with illustrating it. The Bible encourages us to glorify God with our bodies and one way to do that is to paint the canvas He gave you.

Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged

The way you look has no bearing on how much of a Christian you are. Christianity is not a spectrum to be measured anyway. Who are we to judge someone else’s faith? Human beings have no right to determine who is more faithful or less faithful to God. We certainly shouldn’t be judging people based on their physical image.

Not every tattoo or piercing is even visible. These bodily adornments aren’t necessarily meant to be flaunted publicly. How we decorate our bodies is a personal decision, and our comfort level with publicly displaying those decorations varies from person to person. That’s not to say that someone with a tattoo or piercing in a more hidden place is ashamed or attempting to hide their adornment. But it does mean that other people may not be aware of their tattoos and piercings. The lack of awareness could lead to further marginalization and hypocrisy, as those with more visible adornments are rejected based on their outward appearance while those with hidden adornments are welcomed with open arms.

Piercings and tattoos are not a barrier to a relationship with the Lord, so they should also not be a barrier to community and fellowship with God’s people. But it happens. Some Christians have an incorrect belief that people sporting tattoos or piercings are not welcome in church. Everyone is welcome in church! Piercings or no piercings, tattoos or no tattoos, there’s a pew for you.

Your Body, Your Choice

Tattoos and piercings do not condemn you to an eternity of torment. They are a freedom of expression, an opportunity to showcase the unique person God created you to be. Remember that God gives certain individuals the gift of creativity. It is from God that tattoo artists receive their talents. Encourage them to use their gifts. Decorate your temple in a manner befitting your status as a child of God!