Disputable?

Is it wrong to have a tattoo?

For the sake of my kids I got one of those temporary tattoos with a dinosaur on it. But are permanent tattoos UN-Biblical? (For non-Christians, that’s “Christian-ESE” for something that is not permitted according to the standards of the Bible.

What about dinosaurs? How do we explain them from a Biblical standpoint? I’m sure we all have answers we can give, but do we really know for sure?

There are some matters that are disputable among Christians, according to the Apostle Paul in the letter he wrote to the Christians in Rome in the first century. He said, “Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.” (Romans 14:1 New International Version)

So how do we know if something is a disputable matter? We can ask ourselves some questions: – Is it clear from Scripture? Is it something that Jesus and the Apostles considered important?

– Has it been disputed by faithful Christians through the centuries?

– If it is a new controversy, why is it new? Did past generations lack some information? If in fact they did, then are faithful Christians who consider Scripture authoritative for truth and life disputing it?

-On what level is it disputable? If it is outside what is Orthodox, we mean it is outside of what can be deemed true by a disciple of Christ Jesus. We’ve used the Apostle’s Creed and the Nicene Creed as doctrinal statements in most expressions of Christianity. What about in regard to Ortho-praxis (that is not just what we believe to be true, but what is righteous in terms of the practice of Christianity)? Baptism and the Eucharist/Communion are essential to all Christians on one level or another, but there is great disagreement as to how they are practiced.

What about lifestyle? I believe it is clear from Scripture (Romans 1 for instance) that all forms of sexual immorality are a sin against God. I do not consider that a disputable matter. That’s a controversial view nowadays.

There are a lot of things I don’t know for sure. There are many mysteries in our faith. We hold that God is One and yet three persons. We hold that Christ is fully God and fully man. We hold that He was born of a Virgin. We hold that God is Almighty and yet we hold that sin exists too. We hold that God breathed Scripture, yet men wrote it.

I know for sure that Christ died for our sins, that He rose again on the third day and that He is coming again. How that all works I don’t even know. But I believe it. I believe in Him. I trust in Him. I don’t know a whole lot else for sure. I have strong opinions, but I don’t know very many things for sure. I’ve determined to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified.

Here’s a poem I got in 2012 that articulates it better. I think art does a better job than our narrative prose can:

Behold the Mystery

The immoral becomes immortal

because incarnation goes through crucifixion

turns it to resurrection, then ascension

Sends His Spirit, can you hear it?

Tongues are speaking to anyone seeking

to find what is brought because they’ve been sought

before the beginning of time