AboutDr Tim Gladu Expertise I will be willing to answer general questions on marriage. I will give the advice from the aspect of what the Bible has to say and the advice will be based on the Word of God. I do not give medical advice.
Experience Experience in the area: I have 14 Years in Ministry. I have also been happily married for 21 years and have raised 3 Children
Southern Baptist.
Education/Credentials Bachelor’s degree in Ministry, a Masters in Pastoral Counseling and a Doctorate in Theology.
Question QUESTION: Before we were married, my wife had tattoos. She wanted more and even mentioned a mild addiction to them. I asked her what the Bible says about tattoos and she found the Leviticus verse where it says not to mark the body. Since we have separated she has gotten another tattoo, now claiming that she is covered by Grace. I am reminded of a verse in Romans(?) where the author asks "since we are covered by Grace should we sin more so that Grace abounds? Heavens No" Am I wrong in thinking this way? I know GOD's Grace is sufficient to cover all sin, but to sin knowingly? Is that still covered?
ANSWER: Steve,
You are correct in your interpretation of these verses. We do have Christian liberty and to this end if we sin we ask forgiveness and we are forgiven. We are also not to use this as a justification to commit sin. There is also a verse that tells us that if our liberty causes another to stumble or fall then we have hurt the body of Christ and we need to stop that activity. We as Christians do realize what we can and can’t do under grace. This doesn’t mean to just throw caution to the wind and let loose. The fact that she has another tattoo I do not think that alone would make her some kind of major sinner but it does say something about her belief. If you know that something is bad and you still do it then that would be a deliberate act. When you plan it out and then do it that would be pre meditation. If she was out and just had a whim to get the tattoo then maybe it was just that so you have to consider that also. I would caution you to show love for her and forgiveness. Christ has shown you forgiveness when you did not deserve it so try to show her the same love. She is your wife and you are commanded to love her no matter what. I will keep you in my prayers and hope that your wife can be better for you and your family.
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QUESTION: I had no objection to the tattoos she had before we met, I have many friends with tattoos and some are true believers. At the time we met I did not even know of the Levitical Laws, so when she found them that was news to me. The sin, in my opinion, which is worth about a grain of salt, I think the sin is not so much in the marking of your flesh but in the deliberate disobedience of the Word of GOD. Another thing that I forgot to mention was the tattoo parlor where she gets her work done has a 666 on one of the doors and the guy doing the tattoo also has a 666 tattoo. One of my friends would say, "maybe there's nothing wrong with that, but there certainly ain't nothing right about it". Just the whole 6 thing tells me that the tattoo idea is not of GOD and maybe if done somewhere else, it might be, but I doubt it.
Answer Steve,
You sound like you are concerned about your wife and the tattoo issue. The best thing to do at this point is to simply let her know how you feel. If she truly cares about what you think then she will not get the new tattoo. I have had to voice the same issue with several young ladies in the past and have made a similar argument. Continue to show support for her and let her know that this really bothers you. Again she is the one who will make the decision in the end. You can only let it be known that you disapprove and leave it at that. Sometimes we have to realize that people are going to do things that we may disagree with but when it comes to family we have to love them for all their faults and press on.
