“Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart” (2 Corinthians 3:3)
“The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars” (Jeremiah 17:1)
Our tattoos on the outside will perish with the perishing of this old fleshly body. But that which is imprinted upon our hearts by the Spirit of The Living God will never perish.
Ink – a usually liquid and colored material for writing and printing
Purposeful marking is done to communicate. Communication is done to transfer a message from one place to another.
Being a New Creature in Christ, I want to show off my Spiritual tattoos! Because they are not visible to the natural (fleshly) eyes, I should inform you that more that just natural eyes are required to view them.
1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
Furthermore, Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (23) Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
Now to my knowledge, it is against not only the state and local prison laws, but also against God’s law to tattoo this fleshly body. “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).
Paul says “…I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus” (Galatians 6:17). Note he said “in my body,” not on my body.
Now, 2 Corinthians 3:2 says, “Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men.” Dear reader, how are you being read by all men? Do they recognize your R.I.P. and its graphics before they see the meekness, joy, longsuffering, etc. (“the fruit of the Spirit”)?
I feel that a fellow human at the right time would rather accept that which is needed, than to honor a dead loved one and the memory of that person. When a born-again Christian truly exemplifies Jesus Christ from the inside out, that is when he shows his spiritual tattoos. (1 Timothy 4:12, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”)
Exemplify – to illustrate as an example; serve as an example
There is not a drop of ink on my body in the form of a tattoo. There are marks on my body, but they are not with ink. They are marks that tell the story of my life; some appreciated, some not. But none are without distinction.
Distinction – distinguishable to the eye or mind as discrete, separate
Because the Fruit of the Spirit is produced by the Spirit, that makes it distinct in itself. We are the chosen ones who should bear the fruit to be seen by men. When the world has its eyes opened by the Holy Spirit to see the Fruit, then it causes them to desire to bear this Fruit as well. They desire to cover their bare skin with the Ink of God. Fruit-bearing is a sure mark of a new identity. The mark of a true Christian is seen in the love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance that men are shown through him or her by God.
That is why I prefer No Ink but the Ink of God.
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