The Old Testament's specific prohibition against cutting or marking the body was tied to pagan mourning rituals, not a timeless ban on all body art. The broader biblical principle is that the body belongs to God and should be honored with wisdom rather than treated as a matter of legalistic rule-keeping.
Leviticus 19:28 forbids cutting the body for the dead or marking it with tattoos, a command given in the context of pagan mourning and idol-worship practices common among Israel's neighbors, rather than a general command applying to every era and culture. The New Testament shifts the emphasis from external rule-keeping to the underlying principle that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, bought at a price and meant to glorify God. This means decisions about tattoos or body modification are best weighed through wisdom rather than a flat rule: considering motive, permanence, message, health, and whether a choice reflects self-control and honors God, rather than treating ink itself as inherently sinful.
Discipleship applies the gospel to the whole life: body, mind, relationships, work, finances, and worship. Healthy choices and faithful habits do not earn salvation; they are grateful stewardship of the life God has entrusted to us and practical ways to serve others.