Mullets and Other Fun Ideas by Mike O'Brien

NOTE: THE FOLLOWING WAS WRITTEN BY MY FRIEND MIKE O'BRIEN. THIS IS THE SITE'S FIRST GUEST BLOG. ALL I DID WAS ADD A PIC OF UNCLE JESSE AND POST.

The other day I was walking to work and I saw a guy with an incredible mullet (a hairstyle characterized by short hair on the sides and long hair on top and in the back). According to Mullet Junky, as reputable a source one finds on such things, this was an Animal. This sight nearly distracted me to the point where I almost tripped on a curb. In that humbling moment, I remembered a question someone asked at a Bible Study a few years ago:

Q: I want to get a mullet, and some of my Christian friends say it's not cool, what did Moses say

A: Your friends are right, Leviticus 19:27 reads, "Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head..."

Q: Are you kidding me, are you sure this isn't one of those Old Testament Laws that got replaced by the New Covenant?

A: I'm sure, 1 Corinthians 11:14-15

That is as straightforward as biblical law gets. The Old Testament says it (no short hair on the sides), the New Testament confirms it (no long hair at all) - God disapproves of mullets. However, few items are so straight-forward in the Old Testament. The casual reader may find a prohibition in the Old Testament to which there is no counter prohibition in the New Testament (such as getting a tattoo, Leviticus 19:28), and ask whether it still applies.
The bible discusses God making covenants or promises with different people at different times. There are five covenants described throughout the Bible:

#1. Noah, Genesis 9:1-17, explained here in detail. In short, God rewards Noah’s faithfulness and promises not to flood the world again.

#2. Abraham, explained here in detail. Including that God will extend the forgiveness and engagement to everyone else…someday. Genesis 18:18, Genesis 22:18.

#3. Moses, Exodus chapters 19-34, explained here in detail. God provides a plethora of regulations (one of which is the subject of this post), and then promises to be merciful and gracious while He forgives iniquity, transgression and sin. Exodus 34:6-7.

#4. David, 2 Samuel 7:12-17, explained here in detail. Basically, God is a establishing a throne from the heirs of David which will last forever.

In each of these covenants, there were certain standards of behavior that accompanied the promise. To enjoy the promise the covenant holder had to have faith in God. The standards of behavior were reflections of whether that faith was present. It is important to note that there was no requirement for perfection, since, if there was, there would be no need for God’s grace which is the common theme throughout these passages.

#5. New Covenant By the time of the new covenant, a bifurcation existed between church law (which governed conduct of believers) and civil law (which provided remedies for private and public disputes among mostly everyone). Romans 13. So, Paul recognized that there was a general moral obligation to obey the law (there are obviously conflicts between church and civil law, but that is a topic for another day). This event narrows the discussion to restrictions on personal conduct instead of prohibitions on public behavior.

To begin, in the Old Testament Jeremiah predicts that the “old covenant” personal conduct will not be around forever, 31 "The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. 33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." Jeremiah 31:31-34 (my emphasis). Luke 22:20 explains, “In the same way, after the supper (Jesus) took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’” Some scholarly dispute agrees as to whether the new covenant began at the moment Christ died or at Pentecost. Regardless, we are certainly in a new covenant time now, and Hebrews 8:13 explains, “By calling this covenant ‘new,’ he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.”

Therefore, the Old Testament restrictions on behavior have passed. But note how all of the promises of God explained above have been fulfilled (or are currently in progress, such as not flooding the world, the availability of forgiveness of sins, etc.). That brings me back to the original question about getting a tattoo. The important inquiry is not whether one can get a tattoo, but why one would want to. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says that as believers we are to honor God with our body. If one is getting a tattoo to glorify God, then it wouldn’t be considered sinful. However, if one is getting a tattoo for some other reason (to spite one’s parents, etc.) then it could be considered sinful.