I worry about my friend. She believes that God forgives her sin but does not accept His forgiveness because she tells herself she is unworthy. I know in regards to our salvation, when we believe we are sinners and realize we need a savior, we also need to accept Jesus as our Savior or we would remain in our sins. Is the same true of forgiveness? How can I help her?

I am been doing a lot of thinking in regards to Grace, the Mosaic Law, the feasts and other things the Messianic movement thinks should apply to the Christians and wanted your opinion on my thoughts.

The central passages I am looking at are found in Acts 15. Paul has returned from his trip to the Gentiles and an issue had arisen specifically in regards to circumcision. Peter, Paul, James and those apostles still alive and in Jerusalem held a council and from that came four requirements for Gentile believers: They were to not engage in sexual immorality, not eat meat given to idols or from an animal that was strangled nor were they to eat or drink blood. Nothing was said about Gentile believers being required to observe any of the Jewish festivals, which fall under the Mosaic covenant nor any of the other Mosaic laws. Further; the act of circumcision was not required of Gentile believers as this was part of the Abrahamic covenant.

My thoughts are this: Peter was given authority by Jesus to bind or loose on earth and in heaven. God did not change but gave Peter the authority to make changes, not to the covenant it self but to how it would be implemented. Notice the changes in Acts 15 apply only to the Gentile believers, not the Jewish believers. I believe Gentile believers were given an exemption from the feasts and ceremonial laws by Peter.

Where does this leave Jewish believers in Christ then? They are covered by Christ of course and some of the feasts and ritual celebrations have to change a bit but I believe God still requires them to be held to them. This is a higher standard situation: God chose the Hebrew people for himself and he has always held them to a higher level of behavior before all men. Like the Gentile believers they are no longer bound to the Mosaic law, but a life truly lived in Christ will cause us to voluntarily obey them as more of a side effect rather than requirement. That is where my thinking is going anyway. Could you comment on it please?