"By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil."
Proverbs 16:6
“By mercy and truth iniquity is purged:”
God is the one who purges sin, the scriptures are clear about this (Luke 5:20-21; Acts 13:38; Romans 4:6-8; and others). Unfortunately, some teach this verse incorrectly. They might say “if a man is merciful and if he is truthful, he can purge (expiate, cover), his own sins.” Nothing could be further from the truth! I understand the Hebrew text makes it clear that God’s mercy and truth are spoken of here. And only God can expiate1 sin.
“‘By mercy and truth, he shall atone for iniquity.’ He – God, by his mercy, in sending his son Jesus into the world, – ‘shall make an atonement for iniquity’ according to his truth – the word which he declared by his holy prophets since the world began,”2 (Clarke).
“Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other,” (Psalm 85:10).
How true this is! When Jesus died on the cross, we have salvation because of His work to forgive our sin!
“And by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.”
How much sin will you tolerate in your life? This seems like a dumb question to ask a believer. But think about it, what are the sins in your life that you do not think are so bad? You know, my sin is not as bad as murder, or adultery, or those bad sins… Really? Isn’t every sin, a sin for which Jesus died? Why do we want to think of some sins as “not so bad.” Our culture glosses over sin as though it’s nothing, but as believers, we dare not live this way, or we make God a liar, and in the long run, have no testimony in this lost world.
What is the answer to the question, “how much sin will you tolerate in your life?” It depends on how much you fear God. If you have little respect for God and His Word, then you will be able to tolerate much sin. If you fear God, love and honor Him, live for His glory, then you are intolerant of sin in your life, and you will deal with your sin regularly, keeping short sin accounts with God. “By the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.”
How much do you fear God?
1. Expiate, to atone for, to cover sin. The Hebrew word is for the propitiatory covering. This is what Christ’s sacrifice has done for us. No man can pay his debt for his own sins.
2. Adam Clarke, Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.