Tattoo

Word From Wiese

September 2, 2026

Do you know a friend or family member with a tattoo?

If so, they may be in trouble. At least, they might be if we take the Bible absolutely literally. In Leviticus 19:28, God says, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.”

Of course, most of us don’t think our tattooed friends are violating God’s will every time we see their ink. And there are plenty of other biblical commands most Christians don’t follow literally. The Old Testament tells us not to eat shellfish, not to wear clothing made of two kinds of fabric, and not to cut the hair at the sides of our heads or trim the edges of our beards. What about disrespectful children? Their forecast is grim if we apply Deuteronomy 21:18–21 literally! (Check it out, if you dare.)

So, what happened?

Did we simply decide which parts of the Bible we like and which parts we don’t? Not exactly. The better answer is that we read the Bible in context.

That may sound obvious, but it represents an important distinction. Biblical literalism is the third “harmful lens” we’ll explore this Sunday in our Better Ways to Read the Bible sermon series. Literalism assumes that the most faithful way to honor Scripture is to take every statement at face value, as though every sentence were written directly to us in our own time and culture. But, as we point out at COS, the Bible is a collection of 66 writings composed across centuries, in different cultures, genres, languages, and historical circumstances.

As author Zach Lambert reminds us, the doctrine of biblical “inerrancy” itself is relatively new, formulated in the 19th century by scholars B. B. Warfield and Charles Hodge and later codified in the 1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. That doesn’t mean Christians before the 1800s didn’t believe the Bible was inspired or trustworthy. They certainly did. What is relatively new is the idea that faithfulness to Scripture requires understanding its every statement as literally, factually, and scientifically inerrant.

Here is where literalism can become dangerous.

When we insist that every passage must be understood literally, we can end up asking the Bible questions it was never trying to answer. Lambert uses Genesis as a powerful example. We ask, “How old is the Earth? How long did creation take? Where exactly was the Garden of Eden? How do we reconcile this with evolution?” But Genesis 1–3 was not written as a modern science textbook. And when some Christian pastors force people to choose between a literalistic faith and science, many refuse to check their God-given minds at the door, and sadly no longer pursue church connection.

The good news is many Christians view Scripture with a better lens than literalism, that of context. Bible scholars show us how the creation story uses poetry, imagery, repetition, symbolism, and ancient literary forms. We hear Jesus himself constantly teaching through stories and parables, because he knew they could communicate truths that a list of historical facts never could. In other words, might we suggest that literal doesn’t always mean faithful, and figurative doesn’t mean false.

When we read Scripture with attention to its context, genre, history, and purpose, we aren’t taking the Bible less seriously. We are actually taking it more seriously.

We are allowing the biblical authors to speak in the ways they intended rather than forcing every ancient text into our modern categories. That matters because the goal of Scripture is not simply to give us information. Scripture draws us into the story of God, a God who comes down to us, meets us where we are, and ultimately becomes flesh in Jesus Christ. As we celebrated in Sunday’s sermon, “God stoops.”

The Bible is not a weapon with which we prove that our interpretation is right and everyone else is wrong. It is a gift through which God continues to reveal grace, love, and God’s desire for our lives.

So, the next time you see someone with a tattoo, perhaps don’t worry too much about whether they are breaking Leviticus 19:28.

Instead, remember that Scripture is inviting us into something much deeper than literalism: the wisdom to understand God’s Word in its context, the freedom to follow Jesus faithfully, and the flourishing God hopes for all God’s children.

Questions for Reflection

What is one Bible passage you have struggled with because taking it literally seemed difficult, troubling, or confusing? How might considering its context change the way you hear it?
How might reading Scripture through the lens of Jesus, context, and God’s desire for our flourishing change the way you approach the Bible?

In Christ’s hope,

Pastor Fritz

Let us pray:

Loving God, thank you for the gift of your Word. Give us wisdom to read Scripture with humility, curiosity, and attention to its context. Help us always to see your grace and love revealed in Jesus, and may your Word guide us toward lives of greater faithfulness, fruitfulness, and flourishing. Amen.