Then 1 Timothy 2:5 is untrue...for it says that there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
Believers through baptism are graced to become partakers of Christ’s divine nature (2Peter 1:4); Paul says in Gal 2:20, “… it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me”.
Due to this supernatural bond with Christ and His divine nature, believers are blessed to some degree with some of Christ’s powers - some more so than others, evidenced by such powers as prophesy, the performing of miracles, the casting out of demons and the forgiveness of sins (John 20:21-23).
In a similar way, Christians are blessed with a subordinate share in Christ’s role as mediator. This is especially so in the case of the Church’s priests - who act as mediators between the faithful and the man, Christ Jesus.
Eph 1:22-23 says “the Church … is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all”, so the Church is Christ in this world. Thus the Church acts as a mediator between the man, Christ Jesus and the rest of humanity.
Here are some other points worth considering:
- On Mt. Sinai, Moses acted as a mediator between Yahweh and the Israelites.
- Under Mosaic Law, the sins of the people were atoned for by sacrifices made through a temple priest … so the priests acted as a go-between - or mediator - between God and His people.
- In 1Tim 2:5, Paul commands “supplications, prayers and INTERCESSIONS … to be made for all men”. The word “intercession” is a synonym for “mediation”, so in effect, Paul is commanding all Christians to be mediators.
- The word “apostle” means a “delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders” - which is essentially what a “mediator” is.
1 John 1:9 says that we can confess our sins to the Lord and will be forgiven.
No it doesn’t. 1John 1:9 doesn’t say “If we confess our sins to the Lord” - it simply says “If we confess ours sins”.
James 5:15-16 says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another” - “to one another” actually means to “the elders of the Church” (v.15) ... “and he will be forgiven”. James is telling us that our sins will be forgiven by confessing them to the "elders" of the Church. But how can that be? The answer lies in John 20:21-23
"Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained'".
It means that the blood of Jesus is all you need
Scripture says the shed blood of Christ redeemed all of mankind, so does that mean all mankind will be saved?
If the shed blood of Christ is “all you need”, why does Paul warn believers in Gal 5:19-21 that their sins can result in them not inheriting the kingdom of God?