Fear the Lord, Depart From Evil
Proverbs 16:6
In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity; and by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil.
God is the source of the mercy and truth that provide forgiveness of our sins. Only by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ can our sins be atoned for and covered. But this great gift should stir in us the deep desire and commitment to depart from evil. Reverence for our great Creator should lead us to follow Christ’s command to “go and sin no more” (John 8:11; see more about this in our article “Go and Sin No More”).
To depart from evil, we must recognize temptations to sin and overcome them. For more on this, see our article “Temptation: How Does It Occur?”