It’s Tax Day across America, April 15, when we pay our “dues” for the country that we live in. Some we feel are justifiably required, others are frivolous, and still, some we think are pure theft. It seems almost ironic that a country once embroiled in a revolution over taxation would one day require so many of them later.
However, taxes are precisely how a populous would fund their local or national government. American realist Benjamin Franklin supposed as much, stating:
“Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
—Benjamin Franklin, in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, 1789
Two certainties are death and taxes, and no matter how much you try to avoid either, at some point, your audit will come due, and you will have to settle your account. There are always some notable celebrities who have ineffectually dodged taxation for a while until, finally, they are served a heavy fine for their evasion. I know many people dread April 15 more than any day of the year; one in particular would wait until April 15 to file for an extension. Not only could he not pay, but he also couldn’t bring himself to think of having to pay in the future. I am not a fan of taxes, but I cannot think of a better way to pay for many systems that care for the infrastructure and citizens around me. And so, like Franklin, it accepts the certainty of taxes.
Death and taxes are uncomfortable realities in this world. Most people avoid them because of the stress they bring. There is a part of us that knows the finality of the “deadline,” a specific date when there is no longer any time to adjust our ledger. Paul reveals this truth in his second letter to the church in Corinth.
2 Corinthians 5:10 – “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive compensation for his deeds done through the body, in accordance with what he has done, whether good or bad.”
The anticipation of this event can be both comforting and disturbing. For most of us, we probably view it the same way we view Tax Day: We know it is coming, but we don’t want to consider what is actually due. I imagine many people would like to file an extension to extend their date. However, the reality is that we are merely reaping the product of our conduct.
Thankfully, the passage does not end there; Paul continues, describing that there is a way to erase every wrongdoing. He effectively communicates that these transgressions will not be counted against us when the final tally is taken.
2 Corinthians 5:18-21- “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their wrongdoings against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
There is no thought more amazing than the words contained in verse 21. Even though Jesus never sinned, all our sins were charged or accounted to him so that we might be as righteous as he is. We all owe more wages (death) than we could ever repay, yet we will not have to pay that price. When that day of accounting arrives, and we stand before the throne, we enter that peace, knowing that through Jesus Christ, not a single wrongdoing will be counted against us.
It would be like our federal government sending you a letter informing you that you will never have to pay taxes again. No sales, income, or property tax will ever be charged. The benefits you receive have been paid in full, and you never have to worry about getting a “past due” notice in the mail. While taxes may be a necessity or certainty in this life, when you are washed in the blood of Christ, your sins are remembered no more, and you don’t have to worry about paying your final taxes.
“Be not as one that hath ten thousand years to live; death is nigh at hand: while thou livest, while thou hast time, be good.”
Marcus Aurelius