In order to flush out these heretics, a church council, which met at Nicea, formulated a confession of faith in 325 A.D., summarizing the true meaning of the biblical texts. The confession is known as the Nicene Creed, and it was used to exclude Arians from the church. Many other creeds and confessions have been drawn up over the centuries. Some have even been written by the heretics themselves. The point at issue here is not which creeds are the best expression of Christian doctrine, but to illustrate that confessionalism is consistent with the scriptural government of the church.
Creeds are also an outgrowth of the teaching ministry of the church.
It is not as though a creed usurps the role of the Bible. The Bible is the only infallible rule of faith and practice. But since many sects claim to uphold the authority of the Bible, a creed is extremely valuable because it reveals how a particular church understands the scriptures. Creeds provide a means for the church to state the truth in a summary public form. In this respect, confessions help fulfill the church's role as a witness to the world by proclaiming the truths of the gospel.