The New Birth — Rubber Stamp or Regeneration?

Is the new birth merely a formality, little more than a rubber stamp on a piece of spiritual paperwork? Or is the new birth a regeneration of the heart by the Holy Spirit that invigorates and renews the heart with such heavenly power that the renewal manifests itself in the life? In this study we will examine what the Bible says on the new birth, on grace, and on "christians" who aren't born again who think they are. We will compare the gnostic gospel (believers can't be known by evidence), the biblical gospel (believers can be known by evidence of life), and the lordship gospel (believers can be known by signs of health).