Passage
He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house: but he that hateth bribes shall live. By mercy and faith sins are purged away: and by the fear of the Lord every one declineth from evil.
Proverbs 15:27 (DRB)
Nearby Context
Proverbs 15:25 The Lord will destroy the house of the proud: and will strengthen the borders of the widow.
Proverbs 15:26 Evil thoughts are an abomination to the Lord: and pure words most beautiful shall be confirmed by him.
Proverbs 15:27 He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house: but he that hateth bribes shall live. By mercy and faith sins are purged away: and by the fear of the Lord every one declineth from evil.
Proverbs 15:28 The mind of the just studieth obedience: the mouth of the wicked overfloweth with evils.
Proverbs 15:29 The Lord is far from the wicked: and he will hear the prayers of the just.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "faith", "mercy", "greedy", "gain", "troubleth", "house", "hateth", and "bribes". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "mercy", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 26's "Evil thoughts are an abomination to the..." into verse 28's "The mind of the just studieth obedience...", so "faith" and "mercy" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "faith" and "mercy" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.