THE ULTIMATE GESTALT SWITCH

The term, "Gestalt Switch," describes the radical change of one's perception of something. The best example I know, found in every Psychology 101 textbook, is the black and white drawing of a well-dressed young lady, which suddenly changes into a grotesque image of a witch-like old woman. The drawing itself does not change, but the viewer's perception of it does.

A gestalt switch takes place when one reads the Bible, the Word of God, and his perspective of self changes from being "a good person," to being a "hopeless sinner" in need of a Savior. James wrote that a man who hears the Word and goes on as if it did not matter, "is like unto a man beholding his natural image in a glass (mirror). For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was" (Jam. 23-24). In other words, he understands he needs a Savior, but he just doesn't care.

For those who do care, and who respond by accepting Jesus as their Savior, the ultimate gestalt switch occurs; for them, Jesus goes from being A son of Mary, to being THE Son of God. He goes from believing Jesus was just a wise man, similar to Confucius, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., etc., to being God, Creator of the Universe (Jn. 1:1-3; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:1-2).

When a man is exposed to the Gospel message, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, he can deny it, or he can accept it as truth. As in the illustration of the young lady and the old lady above, he can choose to accept either one as real. If he chooses that Jesus was just a man, he will go on living as he had. However, if he chooses to believe he is a sinner, and he accepts Jesus as his Savior, he will begin a new life (Jn. 3:3-8). He has become a new creature; he sees everything from a new perspective (2 Cor. 5:17).

In a sense, repentance is really nothing more than a gestalt switch. The Greek word for "repentance" is μετανοέω (metanoeō) meaning "change the mind." When a person repents, he realizes that he was thinking wrongly, and he begins thinking rightly (thinking as God thinks and seeing things just as God sees things).

Luke wrote that "repentance AND remission of sins should be preached in His name (Jesus) among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Lk. 24:47). "Remission" is translated from the Greek ἄφεσις (aphesis), which means "forgiveness or pardon of sins." Therefore, the message the disciples were to preach was that lost man should have a changed mind based upon Christ's offer of forgiveness of sins.

Have you experienced the ultimate gestalt switch?