The following chart outlines how several of the major denominations/movements in world Christianity understand or explain faith and what a difference this belief makes in everyday life. Because many Protestant groups/denominations prefer not to make clear creedal statements, their "confession" can be understood only in popular and general way.

According to Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1992, endorsed by Pope John Paul II, believing is an authentically human act. In faith, the human intellect and will cooperate with divine grace.

The Roman Catholic teaching of faith is closely tied to their teaching of grace. Like a medical inoculation, grace is "infused" into man. This "infusion" of grace provides man with a spiritual potential and new ability to cooperate with God. This understanding causes man to believe his salvation rests at least partially on himself. This also creates endless anxiety and uncertainty about a person having done enough to earn salvation. Consequently, and tragically, God's gracious promise and joy in Rom. 5:1 are denied the sinner.

Swiss theologian Karl Barth, the chief spokesman for 20th century neo-orthodoxy, did not accept the biblical teaching that faith is totally a gift of God and not a work of man. Barth writes in Doctrine of the Word of God, "Faith is a human work." In his sermon on Matt, 19:27-20:16, Barth writes of faith "as something which [man] does, as an act of accomplishment of his ... we can constantly see that it speaks of faith as a work of man".

As in Roman Catholicism, if faith is a quality man naturally possesses or if it is something he becomes responsible for in order to accomplish his salvation, sinners can never be sure they have done enough. Again, sinners are robbed of the peace and joy God desires to give them. True peace and joy comes to flood our sinful heart only when we are assured that we are justified by faith and not by works. "therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God" (Rom. 5:1).

Oxford University Professor, Timothy Ware, in The Orthodox Church, writes: "Man ... Posses free will ... The Orthodox Church rejects any doctrine of grace which might seem to infringe upon man's freedom. To describe the relation between the grace of God and free will of man, Orthodoxy uses the term cooperation of synergy (synergeia). If man is to achieve full fellowship with God, he cannot do so without God's help, yet he must also play his own part: man as well as God must make his contribution to the common work, although what God does is of immeasurably greater importance than what man does."

According to Oxford Professor Ware, the Orthodox Church clearly teaches that man has free will in spiritual matters. This is in contradiction to Jn. 1:13; 6:44, 65: Rom. 9:16 . Orthodoxy also teaches that man must cooperate with God in His salvation. Like Roman Catholicism, neo-orthodoxy, and popular evangelicalism, this approach makes man at least partially responsible for his salvation. Consequently, the sinner can never realize God's Good News of Rom. 5:1 because no person can ever be absolutely sure if he/she has done enough to please God.

Although most people involved in the world wide movement of popular evangelicalism come out of denominations which historically had statements of faith, today these people tend to shy away from clearly stating their convictions regarding specific doctrines. When explaining how a person comes to Christ and what faith is, most who are part of the popular evangelical movement speak of making a decision for Christ…. decision theology is based on the belief that in spiritual matters all people have a free will. This type of thinking has also been popularized by the Billy Graham Crusades throughout the world. Popular decision theology is contrary to Jn. 1:13; 6:44, 65; Rom. 9:16; 1 Cor. 4:7. (Most Protestants in the U.S., Canada, and Europe consider themselves evangelicals.)

Regarding the unbiblical view of decisionism that results when a person erroneously believes man has a free will in spiritual matters, Dr. John Stott, chaplain to the Queen of England and popular lecturer to students all over the world writes in his book, Our Guilty Silence: "There is a great danger in what is sometimes called 'decisionism', as if all a man has to do is to pull himself together, exercise his will power, and 'decide for Christ.' The very language of 'decisions' and 'decision-cards', though doubtless of practical convenience, is too man-centered to be anything but gravely misleading."
These words of the popular Bible teacher need to be carefully heeded. This highly respectable leader of the world wide Evangelical movement warns of the danger of decisionism. This faulty theology has very practical and negative consequences. It leads to a dependence on man-directed "revivals" to assure people of their faith, rather than upon the strength and life God gives us through His Word and Sacraments.

Regarding faith, the Lutheran Confessions reflect Luther's deep conviction when he, after translating the entire Bible, confessed: "I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord or come to Him; but the Holy spirit has called me by the Gospel ..." For Luther and his followers faith is entirely a gift of God.

When one realizes, through the power of the Spirit, that faith is entirely a gift of God, the Rom. 5:1 becomes a joyful reality: "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
This God-given joy is what caused Luther's followers and others, during the Reformation, to pour forth with powerful Christ-centered hymns, poetry, and art, all reflecting the new relationship God has established with us through Christ (2 Cor 5:18-19).