Doesn't it seem like everywhere there are people with a tattoos?  Everybody sees tattoo designs of all different sorts every single day they go into public.  However, the Bible has something to say about tattoos.

Leviticus 19:28 - "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord."

It has already been proven that Old testament law carries over into the New Testament unless directly dealt with by God, so why are Christians getting tattoos?  Well, personally, I know someone who has tattoos and calls himself a Christian, so let me tell you a little about his testimony.

He got his tattoos "in order to witness to people".  He says that he wants to use them to put him in situations where people will ask him what his tattoos mean.  When they do, it will open a door to his being able to witness to them.

This sounds good, doesn't it?  But think about it a little deeper than just what is seen here.  According to the bible, tattoos are a sin.  The person above got a tattoo in order to bring people to Christ, or so he says.  Well, by that train of thought, it is OK to go out and sin in order to save others, but that sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?  Well, that's because it is!  Nowhere in the Bible does God give mankind a license to sin, and tattoos are not a special topic to deal with, they are blatantly spoken of as sin in Leviticus: "nor not print any marks upon you."

This is the way I am seeing the situation.  He wanted a tattoo, but he didn't want everyone at his church seeing him as a follower of the world.  So, in order to justify his tattoo to his friends, he got one of a supposed Christian symbol and then he tells everyone it is a way to witness to others.  The outcome is that everyone believed him and his conscience felt better.

Tattoos are a symbol of the world.  Look at how many non-Christian religions and cults use them to "gain power or riches" (Elder Futhark runes such as Fehu or Tir) or for use in a ceremony of some sort .  No matter what the reason, tattoos are a symbol of the world.  Who owns this world?  Satan does according to the Bible.  Jesus even says so in John 12:30-32.  He says that the prince of this world will be cast out, and in the context of the chapter, He is talking about Satan.  As Christians we are supposed to be separate from the world (1 John 2:15).  As Christians we are also called to be holy (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8).  The definition of holy is "Set apart to the service or worship of God".  So, why, as a Christian, should anyone get a tattoo?  They shouldn't!  This does not mean that if a Christian has a tattoo that they're now condemned to hell unless it's removed.  But, it does mean that they're going to have to stand in front of God some day and tell Him why they got it.

God knows the intent of man's heart, and if anyone truly repents for anything they believe is a sin, God will forgive them.  Getting a tattoo removed if one believes it was a sin seems to be the best route to go, but if it is too expensive, I'm sure God isn't going to condemn that person to hell.  Having a tattoo doesn't count as a constant sin as long as one has it on their body.