All written confessions of faith, creeds, exist to either answer a question or defend against false doctrine. The confessions of the Lutheran Church are no exception. Indeed, that Christians do confess their faith is a natural outgrowth of that faith.
Jesus said, Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 10:32-33)
Saint Paul understood the importance of this confession of faith when he wrote, That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9)
The Lutheran Confessions were collected into the Book of Concord in 1580. These confessions stand under Scripture and are accepted because they agree with Scripture. As Lutherans we accept the following creeds as a proper exposition of Scripture, and therefore as a proper touchstone for all teachings.