The Temple Priest and Sanhedrin {not all but a majority it seems} had turned the Temple and sacrifices into a business. They controlled the prices for sin in effect by the animals they sold which were inferior and prices inflated. IOW it was spiritual blackmail & extortion with the priest controlling mans relationship and offerings for forgiveness etc with GOD.
GOD saw mans helplessness. In His Mercy and Love GOD sent Jesus to establish a New Blood Covenant that reconciled man One ON One with Him forever through Jesus Christ. Jesus said what you need ask The Father in my name. He didn't mean a Priest He meant GOD.
Jesus sent the Holy Spirit as our personal Intercessor & Teacher dwelling within us spiritually. The Third of the Holy Trinity who communicates for us when words can not. The One teaches us and gives us revelation of truth not dependent of men.
The Jew as a nation rejected it thus They Were Still Under The Laws and The Temple Priest Rituals. The exception being the Jews who believed, received Christ, & converted to Christianity. There were no priest among the Apostles nor Popes. They called themselves Brothers in Christ.
A preacher like the Apostle Paul is being a shepherd over flocks he is feeding in churches he helped to set up their worship services. Paul gave them The Gospel Message and helped set up a very basic SIMPLE easy to abide in order in the church for the preachers, deacons, elders, and members as to expected conduct etc. A guideline many Protestant churches follow and unfortunately some have as of late abandoned for Political Correctness.
Is there salvation outside the church buildings? Yes. Many sheep the Lord has found wandering elsewhere and called them. Is there salvation outside of Jesus Christ by any other means including a church membership or church name? NO! Only the acceptance of Jesus Christ and HIS Baptism a spiritual one John The Baptist spoke of can save us from hell. Brother Jones of First Baptist can Baptize someone as well as Father Smith of the RCC. Their Baptism saves no one as it is an act of obedience and public profession of faith After The Fact of salvation. That is why Baptism of infants should not be done.
Salvation depends on person willfully accepting Jesus Christ. An infant doesn't have that understanding nor for that matter an infant does not know sin as sin, has not heard The Gospel, and is not accountable until conviction of sin comes upon their hearts. That is usually in teens for many and for some young adults.
Salvation is a Spiritual rebirth being born again in spirit by receiving Christ as Lord and Savior. It is this way so no man can no longer by mans demands deprive another of this. We are reconciled to GOD through Jesus Christ only. We don't need too and should not ask of the resting spirits departed of this earth for their intercession. The Holy Spirit acts for us, GOD hears us, and because of Jesus sacrifice for us accepts our prayer we say directly too him ourselves in Jesus name.
Would eternal rest of the departed ones from us be such by be being disturbed by persons in this world and seeing the woes, hurts, and crisis of even ones we loved? NO. They have been separated, taken out of this physical world and it's pains and woes, unable to know the happenings thereof, because of a separation GOD placed there before the days of Abraham. Abraham was asked to intercede for live brothers by a dead man in hell. Abraham explained it could not be done and why. The Angels are a different matter but even to or through them we should not pray.
Back to Priest. The early churches had no Priest because that order was no more. Believers meaning also as Christ disciples we are instructed to spread The Gospel. They weren't told to build new Temples and establish new Priest for those Temples. Christ meant what He said when He talked of tearing down the Temple and rebuilding it in three days. The New Temple Christ established is within us and Christ is our Priest sent to us from GOD. Thus His words to Peter after Peters profession of Christ as Son Of GOD & Savior. The new church founded on GOD's Revelation to man through The Holy Spirit. That is the new church established solely by Christ obedience, fulfillment of all laws, fulfillment of prophecies, His sacrifice once and for all for sins as the sacrificial Lamb given one time for the sins of all who will accept, accomplished at the cross when He said "It is finished" and began anew when His resurrection was completed. He alone is worthy. To Him be the Glory. Not mans earthly founded physical establishments. No church saves anyone.
No person can save anyone else nor can anyone pray somosne out of hell. They made their choice. When we die we are either with The Lord or in hell. Either /Or no in between. No Limbo. No purging. The Blood of Jesus Christ alone purifies us. That is a One on One matter solely between the person and Jesus Christ & the acceptance of Him as Lord and Savior or the rejection thereof. Believe as the thief on the cross, believe what Jesus told Nicodemus, and by faith through GOD's Grace salvation is received free of charge. The Gates of Hell can not stop it from happening nor can any person on earth deny someone this if the person ask of The Lord.
And it's an hour past my bed time :>}
Wow! Well said!!