Bible

Good news for all of my short kings and queens, your height has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not you can make it into heaven.

This misconception comes from the following verses in Leviticus 21:16-20 (ESV):

16 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Speak to Aaron, saying, None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer the bread of his God. 18 For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long, 19 or a man who has an injured foot or an injured hand, 20 or a hunchback or a dwarf or a man with a defect in his sight or an itching disease or scabs or crushed testicles.

As we can see from the context, this is very specific instruction given to Aaron (via Moses) about who can serve in the temple. Aaron and his descendants were in charge of all of the temple practicalities and there were strict guidelines as to who could serve.

The Bible tells us that without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sins. Thus the animal sacrifices and other offerings in the temple were performed by Aaron for the forgiveness of the sins of the people (amongst other things).

But now Jesus himself has become the sacrifice, once and for all. Read in Hebrews 10:11-14 (ESV):

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

We can see that we no longer need animal sacrifices or the selection of priests as per the scripture in Leviticus because Jesus has already died on the cross for us.

Just like tall people, short people will only go to heaven if they confess their sin and give their lives fully to Jesus. Heaven was always an impossibility for us in our own strength, but Jesus has made a way for us.

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The only place the Bible specifically mentions tattoos is in Leviticus 19:28 (ESV):

You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord.

Before we dive into the theology of it, let’s just consider common sense for a moment.

Our body is a gift to us from God and we are to steward it well. Damaging our body through lack of care is not good and yet all of us will imperfectly care for our bodies. Think about nutrition, lack of movement, avoiding going to the doctors to address illness etc.

Clearly it’s a good idea to look after our bodies but God is very kind to us as we imperfectly follow him.

So does tattooing damage our body? If done carelessly or improperly yes. But generally speaking no.

God is not a stickler for detail or trying to catch us out. He is very gracious to us in all of our imperfection.

Even if we reach the conclusion that theologically tattoos are a sin, then it would be hard to imagine that it is a level of sin that would disqualify someone from heaven.

The first thing we need to consider is that much of Leviticus is not written to most of us. The Law (Torah) was given to the people of Israel.

We can see that there are multiple elements to the Law.

• Civil law around the judicial system of the nation of Israel (not applicable to us)
• Ceremonial law around the forgiveness of sins (fulfilled by Jesus)
• Common sense truth that stands the test of time

So if you are not Jewish then much of the Old Testament Law is not an instruction for you.

That doesn’t mean there can’t be truth or wisdom that applies to non Jewish people such as myself. But if we want to take Leviticus 19:28 and apply it to ourselves today then we should probably also apply the rest of the Law such as burnt offerings etc.

So why did God command the people of Israel not to cut their body or tattoo themselves.

The clue is in the reference to the dead. Many pagan religions cut themselves or make markings (tattoos) that are directly connected to the worship of idols. Hence God is reminding his people that he is the Lord and wants his people to be separate.

There are some ways that tattoos can be sinful though.

It’s all about the heart with which we approach them (and anything else for that matter).

If we are getting a tattoo to annoy our parents or to communicate a dark or unkind message then that’s probably somewhat sinful.

If we are acting outside of self-control (a fruit of the Holy Spirit) and being careless with our bodies then that’s probably somewhat sinful.

And of course connected to idol worship is not a vibe.

But tattoos in themselves are definitely not sinful for Gentiles (although the scripture seems to say they are for Jews).

So how does anyone get to heaven anyways?

We know that every single one of us have fallen short of the glory of God and need a saviour. Romans 10:9 (ESV) says it like this:

Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

It’s not the result of our perfect life (although God does want to change our behaviour over time). It’s the result of the grace and goodness of God, revealed to us on the cross through Jesus.

If you have a tattoo that you regret then you could always save up and get it removed. But the Bible also tells us that the old has gone and the new has come.

Thanks for reading!

If you’re wondering how many pages are in the Bible then you’ve come to the right place. But unfortunately it’s one of those annoying answers – it depends.

The amount of pages completely depends on many factors including font choice and sizes, page size, style and of course translation. If you’re looking for a rough answer then we can say that typically a Bible will have at least 1200+ pages in it.

Did you know…

The Bible is primarily written in Hebrew and Greek and there are many translations of it into English (and of course other languages). It’s actually the best-selling book every year but it’s such a given that it doesn’t get counted to the official lists.

It’s also made up of 66 books (which make up two parts – the Old & New Testament).

If you’re wondering where to read the Bible then there are many free versions available to read online such as BibleGateway or the YouVersion Bible App.

You can also buy a physical Bible from Amazon (or a plethora of other sites via Google).

You can find the full list of the ten commandments in the Bible in Exodus 20.

Though given specifically to Moses and the nation of Israel, the ten commandments have become iconic and contain timeless truth that can be applied today.

It’s worth noting that the Protestant and Catholic tradition of the Bible break down the ten commandments differently. The below quote is following Protestant tradition and found in Exodus 20:13 (ESV):

You shall not murder.

The Catholic tradition is that the sixth commandment is found in the following verse of Exodus 20:14 (ESV):

You shall not commit adultery.

This difference is to do with how the commandments are grouped but the both traditions still hold to the same message around the ten commandments.

Perhaps best to sum up all of the commandments is the Golden rule as shared by Jesus in Matthew 7:12 (ESV):

So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

It’s hard to argue with that from the perspective of morality and given that Jesus wrote the Law, it seems like a good summary.

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