You Asked for It: Tattoos, Piercings & Wine — What Does the Bible Say? 09/06/2026

Christ has set His people free, and Galatians 5 makes clear that freedom is not a side issue. Christ did not save anybody by external performance, cultural rules, hair length, clothing, tattoos, piercings, or a list of man-made regulations. Paul confronts the old trap of adding something to Calvary, whether it is Christ plus circumcision, Christ plus the law, or Christ plus religious performance. The cross is enough, and the blood of Jesus is enough to forgive and save.

Grace frees believers from legalism, but grace never frees believers from holiness. Legalism says, “If I do certain things, God will accept me,” while license says, “Because I am under grace, what I do does not matter.” Galatians puts the truth right in the middle: Christ sets His people free from the law’s condemnation, and the Spirit teaches them how to live free and holy.

The flesh and the Spirit stay in a real fight. The flesh wants sexual immorality, jealousy, anger, division, drunkenness, and all the rest, but the Holy Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The old man may be dead, but he needs dirt kicked on him every day. The Spirit does not lead believers away from God; He keeps drawing them toward God, even when conviction is painful.

Christian freedom requires more than asking, “Can I?” First Corinthians asks whether something is beneficial and whether it will master a person. A fish never gets hooked if it never opens its mouth, and Satan is always baiting for a hook. Tattoos, piercings, and wine cannot all be handled by a quick, universal rule, but alcohol carries bold biblical warnings and can quickly become a doorway to lost self-control. The body belongs to Christ and is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 14 calls believers to honor conscience and protect weaker brothers and sisters. Love may lay down a legitimate liberty rather than become a stumbling block. Personal convictions matter, but personal convictions cannot become everybody else’s requirement for salvation. Sin must be obeyed against when Scripture clearly says no; liberty must be exercised carefully; and wisdom must ask whether a choice honors Jesus, strengthens witness, harms another person, or becomes controlling.

The law can regulate behavior, but grace transforms the heart. Grace produces freedom, freedom produces love, love produces obedience, and the Holy Spirit produces a life that looks like Jesus. Christ calls people to quit trying to earn what He has already provided and to surrender fully by faith.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Grace saves, but grace also changes. Grace does not leave a person trapped in fear-driven rule keeping, nor does it give the flesh permission to run wild. Christ’s grace changes the reason obedience matters: not terror of rejection, but love for the One who paid the price. A life shaped by grace begins to desire God’s presence more than its old appetites. [88:50]
• 2. Freedom must never become flesh’s opportunity. Christian liberty is not measured by how close someone can get to the line without crossing it. Freedom becomes dangerous when a desire, substance, habit, or image begins to master the heart. The Spirit gives self-control so that no lesser thing gets to sit on Christ’s throne. [91:10]
• 3. Love limits rights for another’s good. A believer may have freedom in an area where another believer has a tender conscience, yet love chooses not to wound that person. Mature faith does not flaunt liberty just because it can. Love values a brother or sister’s growth more than proving a personal point. [97:20]
• 4. The Spirit changes hearts, not appearances. External rules can create a religious look without producing a surrendered heart. God starts on the inside, and a changed heart eventually shows up in a changed life. The real question is not merely what a Christian looks like, but whether a life looks like Jesus Christ. [103:14]
• 5. Christ is enough for salvation. No person can behave well enough to earn acceptance with God. Jesus lived sinless, took sin upon Himself at Calvary, rose again, and offers His righteousness by faith. Salvation begins when striving gives way to surrender and trust in what Christ has already done.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [52:21] - You Asked for It: Hard Questions
• [55:35] - Tattoos, Piercings, and Wine
• [57:17] - Finding Truth in Gray Areas
• [62:17] - Truth That Sets You Free
• [63:29] - Christ Has Set Us Free
• [67:08] - Saved by Christ, Not Performance
• [68:37] - Legalism and the Two Ditches
• [73:38] - Walking by the Spirit
• [79:37] - Justified by Faith Alone
• [88:50] - Grace Does Not Produce License
• [91:10] - Wisdom, Liberty, and What Masters You
• [96:18] - Conscience and Love for Others
• [99:30] - Sin, Liberty, and Wisdom
• [103:14] - Grace Produces Christlikeness
• [105:51] - Surrendering to Jesus by Faith

1. In Galatians 5:1 and 5:13, what are believers set free from, and what warning is given about how freedom can be used? [01:05:27]
2. What contrast does Galatians 5 make between the works of the flesh and the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit? Which items in each list stand out most to the group? [01:15:36]
3. According to 1 Corinthians 6:12, what are the two questions that go beyond simply asking, “Am I allowed to do this?” [01:31:10]
4. In Romans 14, how does Paul describe the way believers should treat one another when they have different convictions about disputable matters? [01:37:20]

1. Why does adding religious performance, appearance, or a cultural rule to salvation take away from the sufficiency of Christ’s work on the cross? [01:23:03]
2. Galatians 5:13 says freedom is meant for serving one another in love. How does that keep a believer from falling into both legalism and a “what I do does not matter” mindset? [01:28:46]
3. How can a believer tell the difference between a biblical command that must be obeyed, a genuine personal conviction, and an area that requires wisdom? [01:39:14]
4. Romans 14 calls believers to protect those with a tender conscience. What might it look like for a mature believer to limit a personal liberty without allowing other people’s preferences to control everyone else? [01:38:28]

1. Is there any area where you have been trying to earn God’s acceptance by being good enough, looking a certain way, or comparing yourself to others? What would it look like to rest again in grace through faith in Jesus? [01:45:51]
2. Is there a habit, entertainment choice, substance, relationship, or desire that may be lawful in some sense but is not helping you grow? Ask honestly: “Is this beneficial, and could this begin to master me?” [01:35:31]
3. When you face a gray-area decision, which question is hardest for you to ask: Does this honor Jesus? What is my motive? Could this control me? Could this harm my witness or hurt someone else? Why? [01:34:15]
4. Have you ever felt judged because of someone else’s personal conviction, or have you ever treated your own conviction as if it were everybody’s command? How can you hold convictions with humility and love? [01:38:46]
5. Is there someone in your life whose faith or conscience is tender in an area where you feel free? What could loving that person more than proving your point look like this week? [01:37:29]
6. The Holy Spirit produces self-control along with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness. Which part of that fruit do you most need the Spirit to grow in you right now? [01:17:39]
7. Rather than only asking, “Do I look like a Christian?” consider the deeper question: “Does my life look like Jesus?” What is one practical way your home, work, words, or online presence can better reflect Christ this week? [01:43:11]