Don't you find it sad that we have to use the term "Born Again" in front of the word Christian to identify believers?
What brought this about that we have to use a qualifier to identify a true believer.
Qualifier: A word or phrase, especially an adjective, used to attribute a quality to another word, especially a noun.
In Matthew we find those who used the Lord's name, claimed to have been saved, claimed to have done works of God, and claimed to have manifested spiritual gifts.
Matthew 7:21-22 ESV “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (22) On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
Our Lord has an answer for those who seem to say the right things and do the right things but have one major thing missing.
Matthew 7:23 ESV And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
The Lord Jesus Christ will make a declaration. He says "I never knew you." He did not say that He knew them for a while and then they walked away. He said that these religious people, who had done all of these religious things, were never born again, never a child of God, and never in a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
The second part of the declaration is really sad. He says "depart from me." These are some of the saddest words of the New Testament. This is signifying eternal judgment. The only way to the Father is through the Son, and if the Son says depart, then there is no access to the Father.
The third part of the declaration is really interesting. He says "you workers of lawlessness." They claimed to have done prophecy, cast out demons, and had done many mighty works in the name of our Lord. In all of these things our Lord called them works of lawlessness. Any Biblical or religious work done, no matter how Scriptural it is, without having a right relationship with the Lord is considered works of lawlessness. Wow!
Qualifier: Yes, as long as we have wolves in sheep's clothing, as long as we have false confessors, and as long as we have religious workers doing false works because they don't have a relationship with God, we will need to use a qualifier.
I think God for the true born-again Christians.