Tattoos and marrying people of other religions

Genesis 1     ²⁶ Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ²⁷ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Leviticus 19:28   You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20     Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

1 Corinthians 10:31   Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 6:14   Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

1 Corinthians 7     ¹² But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. ¹³ And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. ¹⁴ For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. ¹⁵ But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. ¹⁶ For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?

As you can see from the passages above, God made us in His image, regards our bodies as a temple for His Holy Spirit, and therefore prefers us to keep our bodies in good shape, as He designed them to be. We should also care for our bodies by what we put into them. But He always gives us free choice, and He never condemns us or forsakes us when we make wrong choices which affect the quality of our lives. He is always ready to forgive and welcome us back into His kingdom.

In the same way, God prefers us to choose life partners who believe the same as we do. Life as Christians is hard enough dealing with the devil’s temptations, without adding the stress of conflicting beliefs into a marriage. But once again, He allows us to choose freely, and gives advice in case a believer does marry an unbeliever. In such cases, the believer should be aware that he or she may be pulled away from God if they are not careful, but rather should try and draw the unbeliever to God through their godly behavior. God bless as you study these Scriptures!