Category: Q and A

Question:

Hello, I am a born again Christian. I have a question regarding tattoos. Is it acceptable for a Christian to get a tattoo? I am considering getting a cross tattoo on my upper arm. Is there scripture in the Bible referencing tattoos? I would appreciate your guidance on this matter. God Bless You! Bill

 

Answer:

Dear Bill,

God gives us a very clear answer concerning tattoos and body piercing. Leviticus 19:28 says, “Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.” When God says, “…nor print any marks upon you…” that is very clear that putting any type of tattoo for any reason would be wrong. Remember, according to 1 Corinthians 6:19, that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. We have no right to mar our bodies or print anything upon them because they belong to God. Just because we are trying to put a Christian symbol upon them does not make it right. Putting a cross on a can of beer doesn’t make it right, likewise, tattooing a cross on your body is not right either. I hope this answers your question.

Sincerely,

Bro. Domelle

Question:

If God is a forgiving God and the Bible says that when we ask for forgiveness He forgets the wrong we have done, then what will happen at Judgement Day. I have heard different things like we will only get judged on our good works, and then heard preaching yesterday which said we will be judged on the bad too. We will stand before God for the wrongs we do, but I also remember when the Bible says God does not remember our sins when we repent and ask for forgiveness. It’s confusing to me, what will happen Judgement Day? Kristen

 

Answer:

Dear Kristen,

I am assuming that the passage of Scripture that you are talking about is 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 where it says, “Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” When you look at this verse in context, you will notice from the preceding verses that we are building upon another man’s foundation. The “work” that God was talking about was not our sin, but what we do for Him.

Our sins were paid for at Calvary. When Christians sin, their sins are eternally paid for, but they will still have to suffer the consequences for their sins on this Earth. Galatians 6:7 says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” A Christian will reap the consequences of the sins committed on this Earth. If we have to pay for your sins in Heaven, then that would mean that we need to do penance on this Earth to cover our sins.

I believe what the Scriptures are teaching us is that on Judgment Day there will be rewards given out for how we serve Christ. God was motivating us to get busy and serve Him so that we will have rewards when we get to Heaven. I do not believe that the Scriptures teach anywhere that we will judged in Heaven for our sins. Our sins were judged at Calvary. Therefore, when we accept Christ, our sins are covered forever. However, this is not an excuse to sin, for we will still suffer the consequences of sin on this Earth, and those consequences will bring heartache.

I hope this answers your question.

Bro. Domelle

Question:

First let me commend you on your sermons that I had the privilege to hear at our winter revival at Heritage Baptist Church in Jeannette, Pa. My question is this: If someone is saved, but they don’t attend church, they don’t read their Bible and they don’t pray, are they considered a Christian? I do know that once a person is saved they are always saved, and a Christian is a follower of Jesus. Thank You, Joe Holmes.

 

Answer:

Dear Joe,

Often people do get terminology mixed up. This is the Devil’s way to get people confused on doctrine. Howbeit, when it comes to the term “Christian,” it would depend upon how the word is used. The word “Christian” or “Christians” only appears three times in the Scriptures. Let’s look at these three times to get a Scriptural definition of this word.

The first time the word “Christian” appears in the Scriptures is in Acts 11:26 when it says, “And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” You will notice that in this verse the heathens were calling the disciples Christians. When these people were taught the Scriptures, they looked at the disciples of Christ and called them Christians. They were no doubt saying that the disciples were Christlike. So in this sense, a Christian is one who is like Christ.

The second time it appears in Scripture is in Acts 26:28 when it says, “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” Now here is it clearly seen that Agrippa was talking about getting saved. So, using this verse would simply imply that getting saved would make you a Christian.

The third time “Christian” is used in the Scriptures is in 1 Peter 4:16 when it says, “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” Again, in this verse Peter was addressing the church as Christians. They were being persecuted because they practiced Scriptural doctrine. So you can see that in this sense, one who suffers for the cause of Christ is a Christian.

When you take all three verses into account, you can see that it truly depends upon how the word is used. When the lost world looks at Christianity, they consider it a religion. So they would consider us Christians because we have accepted Christ as Saviour. However, on the more common Scriptural use, you can see that being a Christian is being like Christ. I believe the Scriptures shows that this word can be used either way. My preference is using the word “Christian” as being like Christ.

I hope this answers your question.

Bro. Domelle