Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Is there a difference between image and likeness? If there is not, why mention both? Perhaps this is where God’s real intentions are stated. He not only wants us to look like Him, He wants us to act like Him.

Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Obviously God cares deeply about the condition of our hearts. He cares so much about the issues of the heart that He changes it for us.

Ezekiel 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

The issue of one heart is one of likeness, being conformed to one standard.

Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Returning to the original design which God had for man in Genesis 1:26, to look like on the outside is insufficient to satisfy God’s original design, we must act like, to show His heart.

Luke 6:45a A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good;

James 1:22a But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only,

It is not enough just to look good.

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Allow me to expand upon the issue of the use of the word image here. God’s first use needs to be examined in finer detail in order to render a more complete understanding of how the word image plays out in history and in scriptures.

The words used and translated into image are not used alone in context of the image itself but rather in context to its environment. The image will always be seen in context to its environment. Here in first use the image is one of dominion. Man’s relationship to its environment, as seen by its surroundings is one of dominance.

Adam begat Seth in his own image, and the issue of image is one of begetting, a copy of which Adam could not add anything to Seth for it was not in him to give. Adam was not born in this way. Adam had the breath of God breathed into him, which became a dead spirit because sin entered in.

Every use of image is such that the external is all there is to the image, it is empty or hollow within. The end use was not the intended use. God did not create man to be an empty shell. God’s intention was for man to be filled with His spirit which was lost to original sin. We became an exercise in vanity, emptiness as to results.

Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

But Christ the only begotten Son of God was not empty, He was filled with the Spirit. In Him and in Him alone can we be restored to the image intended by God, to be born again in the Spirit, to be the begotten image of Christ, no longer empty.