Is it Biblical...a question I hear from time to time.
However, the context of the question is not typically sincere...it's usually either to defend a point of view against someone else OR to question something someone else is doing, that we are not in agreement with. If the question were sincere, it would most likely be about our own behavior, not an others, & then it would be a great question/discussion.
What I mean is, if we were coming from a "hey I really care about you getting this right" point of view, I think the entire context & subsequent conversation(s) would be something that we grow closer through as opposed to it being something that comes between us. A person looses ALL influence & permission when we are divided...so, if "love & concern" were the motives, we shouldn't let something divide us. Right?
Another observation is, we ask the "is IT Biblical" thing in very small context. IE we don't ask that about everything - just the things we have an interest in for whatever reason.
Here's a one of the topics we want to ask the BIG question on...
Are tattoos Biblical? Or we will ask it like this, "Doesn't the Bible say something about tats"? Or like this, "the Bible says..." Now what we are really saying is "I think tattoos are wrong...& I will hand you my beliefs on them...AND I'll use the Bible to validate my belief...AND if you get a tattoo, I think you are definitely in sin of some kind."
Here's the scripture you are using...
It's 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."
I could go on about context of the scripture & a few other points...but I won't, mainly because that's not my point at all. Here's my point...
We don't really want to have to be "Biblical" except in areas we feel strongly about or have no problem with or...or...or...
For example...a few verses before the "tat" verse...
Leviticus 19:19 says this "Don't wear clothes woven of two kinds of material." It means we shouldn't wear cotton & wool together. Have you ever been guilty of that sin? Or this one "Don't plant your fields with two kinds of seed." Have you ever planted more than 1 type of seed in your garden...if so, you are a sinner!!! Not according to me - but to your own logic.
You see. We really don't want to have to be Biblical...not really...do we? I mean really...
Do you see what I mean? We don't ask the big question until we are trying to protect a personal belief or trying to talk someone in or out of something that we believe in...
So, again, just so we are clear...I am not arguing the right or wrong of tats...I am trying to point out a greater flaw often found in our search for so called Biblical adherence, and that is - impure motive. If we end up further apart because of it - it probably wasn't pure in motive to start with.
I have numerous "topics" that we could throw into this mentality...However, I think the greater focus is on "why do I really care about this"? "What am I trying to prove"? ETC...
I think if we looked at the end product of said arguments...we'd see - there's something wrong with our "Biblical adherence"...
Jesus taught that the world would know us by our love one for another...
peace...
b
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