He is not the author of the Athanasian Creed , which bears his name because it teaches what he taught and not because he wrote it. The three great creeds of the Christian Church are the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. Each of them is a summary of what the Bible teaches about the Triune God and his activity, especially what he has done for our salvation. Although not all Christians know these three creeds and not all churches recognize them officially, all Christians believe what these three creeds teach. Creeds provide a useful outline for instructing new Christians or inquirers in the basic teaching of Christianity.
Creeds provide a safeguard against error in what a church teaches.
In the context of public worship or private devotions, the creeds provide a tool for briefly reviewing the wonderful things God has done and is doing for the salvation of sinners and the welfare of his church. Creeds are not necessary to the Christian religion, but for the reasons mentioned above the Christian Church has found them to be very useful. Lutherans believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who became fully human in order to rescue all people from the consequences of sin. This he did by living the perfect life that God's law demands and by dying as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. That he truly accomplished this is evidenced by his resurrection.