Briefly I saw the title of an article which claimed that Christian young men are preferring debt-free tattoo-less virgins when seeking a marriage partner, concerning which a friend made a good counter-argument as to the perceived attitude of that piece. Since I think I have a good idea of where both sides of the issue might be coming from, the purpose of this blog post is to further analyze the issue in order to provide more clarity and understanding through the good news about Jesus.
As a tattoo-less virgin myself, I can at least understand why many young men who follow Jesus could have a marginal preference towards debt-free tattoo-less virgins. Virginity can be a wonderful gift for one’s future spouse after the wedding vows, for such can communicate loyalty, fidelity, self-control, patience, perseverance, and other qualities of love (see 1 Corinthians 13).
Being tattoo-less can communicate a healthy love and respect for one’s own soul and body. Personally, I have good reason to believe that getting tattoos often does open up a portal for demons to enter a person's soul and body (even for Christians). See my old blog post Re-Thinking Tattoos for more information. (1)
But hypothetically-speaking, let’s say that I was forced to choose to pursue marriage between two candidates (although in the current reality, I’m happily single with no intention to mingle):
Woman A has tattoos and is not a virgin. She’s even paying off some debt. However, she repented of those sins; she loves Jesus with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength; she pursues the presence of God continually; she is excellent of soul; she makes Jesus the standard for her life and honors biblical authority; and she pursues and obeys Jesus as she takes faith steps to cast out demons and heal the sick by His power. C.f. Mark 12:30f; Psalm 105:4; 1 John 2:4-6; etc.
Woman B is a tattoo-less, debt-free virgin. However, she is proud; she has a form of godliness but denies its miracle-working power; she harbors offense; she doesn’t deal with herself and is unteachable; she is more concerned with building her own kingdom rather than God’s; etc. Which woman would I choose to pursue given those two candidates? C.f. 2 Timothy 3:2-7.
I would choose Woman A, because “the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7b.
This principle from 1 Samuel 16:7b is further portrayed by a YouTube video I saw on the channel “Bob Larson: The Real Exorcist.” At one of Reverend Larson’s seminars, he was delighted at the opportunity to have a friendly conversation with three young people. One young man was a satanist who was totally covered with tattoos and body piercings. Another atheist girl from a Christian background was more nicely dressed with maybe just a couple tattoos and piercings.
After Bob asked them questions in order to get to know them and why they were so interested in his work, he gained their trust and permission to look into their eyes (the windows to the soul) in order to see how many demons they each had. (Having conducted over 40,000 documented exorcisms, Bob could use his spiritual gift of discernment of spirits to do so. c.f. 1 Corinthians 12:10). To his amazement, Bob observed that although many might think the heavily tattooed satanist would have the most demons, the barely-tatted atheist girl turned out to have the most demons. (2)
How could this be? There are many factors to consider, including the strength of the person’s will, their response to dealing with the trauma they experienced, etc. The good news (gospel) is that we can apply the blood of Jesus to deal with any sins connected to that trauma in our lives. Then we can apply the dunamis (moral power, excellence of soul, and the power to perform miracles) of Jesus’ resurrection power in order to heal any wounded areas of our souls. (3)
People often get tattoos in connection with wounds in their soul. However, those demonic portals can be closed up by the blood of Jesus on the cross and the dunamis power of Jesus’ resurrection. Likewise, the loss of virginity can inevitably arise and/or result in wounds to the soul. However, I believe that receiving and activating that same all-sufficient solution of Jesus’ blood from the cross and dunamis from the resurrection will obliterate the soul wounds from both tattoos and loss of virginity.
Consequently, the Holy Spirit will fill us with dunamis to heal the wounds from the trauma and free us from demonic oppression, since we will be filled with excellence of soul, moral power, and the power to perform miracles, including the power to heal disease and to cast out demons (including spirits of fornication. c.f. Hosea 4:12; 5:4).
To briefly summarize the issue of Christians being demonized, by faith in Jesus, our spirits get born again to moral perfection so that we have 100% right standing with God through the forgiveness of our sins. So it is true that a Christian cannot have demons in his (or her) spirit, which is hidden with Christ in God in the heavenly realms. However, as tripartite beings (made in the image of a triune God), our souls and bodies are not yet perfect when our spirits are born again. C.f. 2 Corinthians 5:17,21; Colossians 3:1-5; Ephesians 1:3ff; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; etc.
Our souls undergo a process called sanctification by which we constantly repent of sins and are in a constant process of purification from all unrighteousness, iniquity, moral defilement, and even demonic influence that may have been given an open door through our woundedness of soul due to sin and/or trauma. Consequently, our souls must be healed by getting filled with the unlimited supply of dunamis that resides in our spirits (which are connected to the the Holy Spirit--the Source of dunamis). C.f. Hebrews 10:14ff; Ephesians 4:27; 5:18ff; 1 Corinthians 6:17-20; etc.
As impossible as it may sound, I believe that I happen to carry around a substance that can restore someone’s virginity. This substance is dunamis, which resides in my spirit. But I have a physical representation of that dunamis in the form of a bottle of olive oil. Guess what its label says: “Extra Virgin” Olive Oil. Throughout the Scriptures, oil represents the anointing of the Holy Spirit (the source of dunamis). Remember that dunamis means excellence of soul, moral power, and the power to perform miracles.
What is impossible with man (restoring one’s virginity) is possible with God. The blood of Jesus deals with the sin; it cleanses our conscience from dead works, including the act of fornication or sexual immorality from which one lost their virginity. Thus, it may be helpful for a person to be physically anointed with such oil in order to help activate their faith in the dunamis of the Holy Spirit filling and healing every wound in our soul connected with sexual sin, tattoos, and/or any sin or [even generational] trauma. C.f. Isaiah 10:27; Matthew 6:17f; James 5:14-16.
After repenting of that sin of sexual immorality by confessing it to God, trusting in the blood of Jesus to forgive and purify you from that sin, then you can apply the dunamis of the Holy Spirit to heal the soul wound that came from that sin. What is the biblical basis by which I claim one’s virginity can be restored?
“For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:2f ESV
Although the immediate context here concerns the Corinthians following false apostles, can having one’s virginity restored still be a biblical application? How so? Here are a couple other passages to the Corinthians for consideration:
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV
The Corinthians used to be sexually immoral in the past. However, that identity no longer defined them because they were washed, sanctified, and justified “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” They applied the blood of Jesus on the cross, and the dunamis of the Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV. To paraphrase Todd White, the blood and the dunamis make us new creations such that we are completely justified--just-as-if-I'd "never eaten of the tree" nor "slept with the world." c.f. Romans 5:1,9,18f.
Conclusion:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,” Psalm 103:2-3 ESV
Jesus’ benefits from the cross and resurrection include healing all our diseases. All diseases even includes sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). When our souls get healed from all wounds of past offense, hurt, trauma, and sin, then we can prosper and be in health to that degree at which our soul prospers. C.f. 3 John 2; Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 10:1; etc.
A prayer to activate the blood of Jesus and the dunamis of the Holy Spirit could bring immediate results in terms of physical healing, but for others of us it may be more of a process, for our souls are like multi-layered onions that require a process of applying the blood and the dunamis to issues and memories as they come up progressively. Viruses may remain when the immune system is still weak or cannot recognize such viruses as "the enemy."
A broken heart (or crushed spirit) dries up the bone marrow (which compromises immune system). When one experiences God "bind up" their broken heart through the good news about Jesus in a fresh way and encounter, then their joyful heart will act like a cure or good medicine by replenishing their bone marrow and immune system, such that it kills viruses as it was designed to, even STD viruses (see Proverbs 17:22; 15:30).
The following is a suggested prayer on how we might apply these truths to our lives:
Father,
I want You to be first in my life and I want to know You better. Thank You for loving me with an everlasting love and for sending Jesus Christ so that I might have life to the full through a relationship with You. Thank You that Jesus died on the cross and shed all his blood to forgive and to cleanse me of all my sins. I believe that You raised Jesus from the dead by your dunamis power, so that I could receive that same dunamis power--excellence of soul, moral power, and the power to perform miracles.
Please fill all wounded areas of my soul connected to my sin and trauma with that same power by Your Holy Spirit. Thank you that I am now excellent of soul. I have nothing in common with the kingdom of darkness, so I have moral power to resist all temptation and the power to perform miracles to set other people free through the good news about Jesus Christ’s blood and dunamis.
Thank You for filling my soul with Your love and power as I enjoy the intimate relationship with You for which You created me.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Through studying the Scriptures, involvement in deliverance ministry, and viewing hundreds of exorcisms on YouTube, I have witnessed many testimonies, patterns, and confessions from demons themselves about the role tattoos have played in connection with the wounds in a person’s soul by which the demons gained legal right to enter the person.
Dunamis definition derived from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, as informed by Katie Souza.
