All churches have certain beliefs about God, the Bible, etc., but not all are equally transparent about those beliefs. For instance, the claim, “we have no creed but Christ,” is meaningless since there are many different views about Jesus. It greatly helps those considering a church to have its beliefs summarized in writing. To meet that need, Christian churches throughout history have crafted documents variously referred to as creeds, confessions, and catechisms. All of these words basically mean, “I believe” or “I answer”, and represent the desire to give an account of one’s faith to those who ask (1 Pet 3:15).

Creedal forms are not meant to limit or add to the Bible. Rather, they are simply tools by which we systematically teach (Luke 1:1-3; 1 Timothy 4:16), protect (2 Peter 3:17), and defend (Jude 3) the Christian faith according to the Word. They are also helpful in discipling new believers (Matthew 28:19,20). So, while they do not possess the same authority as the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 2:19-21), they are useful as statements of what the Bible teaches.

During the Protestant Reformation such documents were especially vital for distinguishing those churches which held to Roman versus biblical views of salvation, authority, and other matters. Over 60 confessions were written during the 1560's alone. Creeds and confessions continue to be useful today.