Throughout my writings, whether they be online or as papers, I have made it clear that I am a Biblical literalist. My hermenuetical view is that the Bible should be taken in a literal fashion. I have only disdain for those interpreters who take Scripture in either a contemporary fashion or worse still, as an analogous living Bible. I firmly believe that the Bible should be taken first in a grammatical-historical context; how it reached those living at that time period. It is only then that Scripture should be reexamined as to how it relates to humanity today. Nevertheless, they are both of equal importance.
With this in mind you may understand as to why I get so irritated with people who declare that God will punish us based off of the degree of sin. For example let us look at the following verse:
Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:28
This is the principle piece of Scripture that speaks out against tattoos I believe the verse is very clear in stating that tattoos are wrong and a sin. In the historical context this verse spoke out against the death and fertility cults that demanded tattoos back during the Exodus. Yet, as I said earlier, we must also look to how this passage effects us today.
So the question is are tattoos more or less of a sin then murder or adultery. Can we put the sin tattoos on a degree level? I cannot begin to speak of all the times I was asked if tattoos are a sin. The answer is yes, they are.
Now that we established tattoos being a sin the question still remains; will God view tattoos as He views murder or adultery? The answer is straightforward. The sins are equal in God's eyes. We must each remember that God only sees things as a sin or not a sin. As God is holy and cannot be around sin then it is clear that you really cannot rate a sin, for iniquity is iniquity and God cannot be near any unsaved sinner.
This view of either/or can be seen in the most basic of doctrines of Systematic Theology. God views the human race in two categories; saved or cursed. Matthew 12:30 says it best reading,
He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. Matthew 12:30
There is simply no third option. Romans 1:20 states,
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Romans 1:20
The basic interpretation states that human beings have no excuse, we either accept Yeshua and be saved with eternal life or cursed by not accepting Yeshua.
Precious Lord, I give you thanks and praise for every blessing within our lives. I thank you for the understanding that your sinful children must choose your Son, Yeshua. I thank you for filling me with your Ruach haKodesh (the Holy Spirit) that I may continue to study and teach your Word. In the name of Yeshua I pray. Amen
