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NASB | Exodus 21:6 then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Exodus 21:6 then his master shall bring him to God [that is, to the judges who act in God's name], then he shall bring him to the door or doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl (strong needle); and he shall serve him for life. |
Subject: Is this a sin to do |
Bible Note: I do not seek to "justify the practice" OR to promote it. I simply answered the question: "IS IT A SIN?" I do not see any Scripture saying that it is. You gave Lev 19:28 as a reference against dishonoring your body. -- "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves." I am the LORD. - Do you understand that God is forbidding pagan mourning practices here? Cutting your bodies (which is NOT piercing) FOR THE DEAD. -- You MUST understand CONTEXT when you are interpreting Scripture! It is just plain ESSENTIAL! -- Leviticus 19: 26-31 (which include your verse) are forbidding Pagan religious practices which include necromancy, cultic prostitution and pagan mourning rituals. Pagans used to tatoo their bodies with their religious symbols, by the way, and that is what this verse is referring to. That's it. So.... if a Christian friend of mine was headed out to go get a tatoo for the purpose of showing his devotion to a pagan "god" -- I'd take issue with it!! HUGE ISSUE! Or if he was going to cut his body because he was mourning the loss of a loved one - or to put a scar in his body to denote his devotion to a pagan "god" (this was another alternative to tatooing in that day, and some Indonesian tribes still practice this) -- I would also take extreme issue with that!! As for Deut. 14:1 - "You are the children of the LORD your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead" It refers to the same things as in Lev 19:28. -- notice FOR THE DEAD. Pretty important distinction. You could understand either of these passages by understanding that God is saying not to take part in pagan religious practices. PERIOD. As for our bodies being a temple of the Holy Spirit - I completely agree with you. I would not tell anyone that if they wanted to honor God, they should go get a tatoo or a body piercing. We do not disagree on that. It is not done to worship God. It is simply a fashion choice. No one liked John The Baptist's looks either. And for the record they didn't like the way Paul or Jesus looked either! Body piercing, done for fashion and having no religious significance at all... is a disputable matter, and Paul tells us not to cause division based upon those things. (Romans 14) Life is just too short, and our work is just too important. |