From the earliest time in the New Testament Church there have been creedal statements. (Creed is derived from the Latin credo-I believe). The oldest Confession of Faith no doubt consisted of statements of belief made at baptism, a declaration of faith in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This baptismal confession evidently expanded in the course of time, as new truths had to be emphasized, into what is known as the Apostolical Confession of Faith, or Apostles' Creed-a confession still in constant use in all the Churches of Christendom. This confession is called one of the "ecumenical" creeds.

But why, we ask again, was it that creeds were considered a necessity, or at least were considered desirable, as official statements of what the Church of God believes? For the following reasons:

1. To bear testimony before the world, especially to controvert calumnies in circulation about the truths held by certain groups of believers, or about these believers themselves, or both. That was, as we saw, one of the chief reasons why de Brés wanted the civil authorities to know what the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands really stood for.

2. To furnish a brief compendium of what the Church believes, in view of the fact that the 66 books of the Bible are an extensive library, and heretics usually appeal to this or that text, which they wrest from its context, and explain without considering the claims of what has been called the "analogy" of faith-which reckons with the harmonious relationship existing between the different truths of Christianity.

3. Again, creeds were prepared to distinguish the faithful churches from those less faithful, or false.

4. Another reason for their preparation was to establish and maintain unity of doctrine within the churches. They mark the limits which the ministers and others of a particular church are to respect in their teachings.

5. Next we may state that the purpose of confessional writings is that the essential doctrine held by a given generation of believers may be handed down in compact form to its posterity.

We might say, by and large, that to the army of the Lord, the Militant Church of the Most High, confessional writings are to serve as a flag for those within to rally around, and for those without to know the Church by and to discern for what it stands.

And the Church is biblically authorized to prepare standards as well as historically justified for doing so. In 1 Tim. 3:15 the Church of the living God is called the "pillar" and ground of the truth. In olden days the pillars of temples were used to have government proclamations affixed to. As such a "pillar" the confessing Church stands to acquaint mankind with the truths of the kingdom of God. And not only is the Church authorized by the Bible to prepare a creed and justified by the reasons we gave-history has set its seal upon their issuance and maintenance. A church with a well-defined and fairly complete creed, carefully stating its fundamental beliefs, as based on the Word of God, is apt to maintain its integrity and doctrinal purity far longer and far better than a creedless organization. In fact, a body as last named, has a creed, too-an unwritten one, based on common consent and tradition, and at times a cruel weapon in the hands of factions.

Of course, we are to bear in mind that a creed is not a substitute for the Bible, as some have charged, maliciously or in ignorance.

The standards of a Church ought always to be considered subject to the Word of God, and an appeal from them to the Bible itself should be allowed, if one is confident, as John Robinson of Pilgrim fame expressed it: "that the Lord had more truth and light yet to bring forth out of his Holy Word." Indeed we may say, in bringing out this difference between the Bible and Confessional Standards: the Bible always is the judge of the confessions, not vice versa. The Holy Scriptures are the Word of God. The doctrinal standards, so far as their phrasing is concerned, are the words of men. Holy Writ is necessary to salvation, but not the confessional writings. Again, the Bible is unalterable; the Confession is subject to lawful changes, brought about in the proper way.

Lastly, we mention that the Holy Scriptures bind our conscience as believers, but the confession binds only by virtue of our relation to the Church and our promise to adhere to its creed, unless we can show that its standards, or any parts of them, are contrary to the Word of God.

Taken from his intro to the Belgic Confession