One of the most pathetic crazes to sweep through the church in recent years is the increase in the number of so-called Christians getting tattoos. What is equally alarming is the lack of condemnation these disobedient children receive from church leaders. A practice that is clearly outlawed in the Bible (Leviticus 19:28) for those who call themselves followers of Almighty God.

In fact it is now common to see young pastors, praise leaders and other elders in the church be covered in unGodly graffiti which they shamelessly showcase with wanton abandon. How did we get here? Like most things, tattoos are not the cause but merely a symptom of something much worse that can manifest itself in various ways.

It is of course a blatant rejection of the 1st and greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37). Offering our bodies as a canvas for nefarious slogans and lewd images is a form of idolatry and indicates that a rebellious heart is at work. When we give our life to Jesus he fills us with a new heart with new desires. To continue to live with one foot in the world is to live in defiance of God’s commands.

It’s grieving to see young naive women deface themselves with ugly degenerate art that permanently vandalizes their sacred bodies. It’s equally pitiful to witness immature men erroneously mistake a tattoo as a sign of manliness while they hide from the real masculinity found in leadership and a life of carnal restraint.

It hasn’t escaped my notice that many “Christians” who have tattoos also tend to partake in other forms of sinful behaviour. Young girls candidly flaunt their bodies making them undistinguishable from unbelieving harlots, while men find pleasure in the many forms of perverse secular entertainment.

Like all sin, this must be dealt with swiftly and resolutely. We cannot allow a generation to grow up unable to identify the difference in lifestyle between unbelievers and followers of Christ. True Christians do not lust after the vapid and shallow world inhabited by those untouched by the liberating substance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Today it’s tattoos, tomorrow it will be something else. But as always we must stand for what is right and demand the repentance of those who have strayed into pagan practices unbecoming of a true believer. So leave tattoos for the empty losers who continue to live in darkness and instead make your body a temple for God to dwell in.