3). Priesthood of the Believer (Direct access to God through Christ Our Only Mediator: “Sola Christus”)
The third great principle of the Reformation was that of “the priesthood of all believers” (it is understood in accompaniment to the Biblical teaching of “Sola Christus”: “Christ Alone”; Christ Our High Priest, Christ Our Only Mediator).
The Scriptures teach that Christians are a “holy priesthood,” (1 Peter 2:5). All believers are priests before God through our great high priest Jesus Christ.
Both the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Communions also say that they believe in “the priesthood of all believers”, for it is clearly taught in Holy Scripture, but Protestants see this doctrine as having many ramifications in Church practice not accepted by the Orthodox and Roman Catholic hierarchies.
“Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” -I Peter 2:5.
Regarding the priesthood of all believers, The Reformers taught that all Christians have direct access to God through Christ; that there then is no necessity for an earthly mediator.
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus;” -I Timothy 2:5.
The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox concept of the priesthood was seen by the Reformers as not warranted in Scripture, and viewed as a mis-application of the Old Testament Aaronic or Levitical priesthood. They taught that this was clearly fulfilled in Christ and done away with in the New Testament.
Sola Christus (Christ alone). Protestants characterize the dogma concerning the Pope as Christ’s representative head of the Church on earth, the concept of meritorious works, and the Roman Catholic idea of a treasury of the merits of saints, as a denial that Christ is the only mediator between God and man.
On the basis of these doctrinal teachings from Holy Scripture; “the priesthood of all believers” (I Peter 2:5) and the clear teaching that Christ is the one (only) Mediator between the believer and God (I Timothy 2:5); the Reformers rejected:
the authority of the Pope,
the merit of good works,
indulgences,
the mediation of Mary and the Saints,
the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary (not to be confused with the Virgin Birth, it instead refers to the Roman Catholic dogma that Mary herself was conceived without original sin),
the doctrine of transubstantiation,
the mass as a sacrifice,
the existence of purgatory,
prayers for the dead,
confessions to a priest,
required celibacy for priests. 2
Limiting Eucharist for the people to one kind (Host/Bread)
http://prayerfoundation.org/protestant_beliefs.htm
The Church teaches that he faithful exercise their baptismal priesthood through their participation, each according to his own vocation, in Christ's mission as priest, prophet, and king. Through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation the faithful are "consecrated to be . . . a holy priesthood." and The ministerial or hierarchical priesthood of bishops and priests, and the common priesthood of all the faithful participate, "each in its own proper way, in the one priesthood of Christ." -- there is no rejection of the individual priesthood of the believer, rather it is celebrated as part of the inherent, deep-rooted beliefs.
to say that The third great principle of the Reformation was that of “the priesthood of all believers” completely ignores the fact that
Lutheranism and Anglicanism retained the ministerial priesthood.
This is also in error as this is warranted in scripture as we see right from the beginning of the differentiation between Christ's disciples and the twelve Apostles