God, in Genesis 1:26, declares His purpose to make man in His image, according to His likeness. The Hebrew word for God here is elohim, a plural form that can signify a unified group, akin to a kind. Mankind, therefore, was created after the God-kind, not merely as adopted, but as sired by God Himself, with Adam named as the son of God in Luke 3:38. Christians, chosen before the foundation of the world as stated in Ephesians 1:4, are destined to reflect this divine likeness. Nothing in nature produces offspring destined to be different from its parent; reproduction generates new individuals of the same kind. Jesus, in John 3:3-8, relates a Christian's spiritual regeneration to being born into a new life, necessary to enter the Kingdom of God. Paul echoes this in II Corinthians 5:17, calling believers a new creation, and in I Corinthians 15:47-49, he affirms that as we have borne the image of the earthly Adam, we shall bear the image of the heavenly Jesus Christ. David, in Psalm 17:15, expresses hope in awakening in God's likeness, and John, in I John 3:2, assures that when our change comes, we shall be like Christ, seeing Him as He is. In Hebrews 2:5-9, quoting Psalm 8:4-6, it is noted that man was made for a little while lower than elohim, likely referring to God rather than angels. Jesus Christ, as the Captain of our salvation, or archegos, leads the way for others to follow. In the Kingdom of God, while God holds supreme authority and Christ is second-in-command, all will fit into the framework of the Kingdom as part of the God-kind, elohim, without being lesser in essence. Revelation 5:9-10 prophesies that God has made man to be kings and priests, reigning on earth, and Christ's words in Revelation 3:9 indicate a status beyond angels. God's Kingdom is a Family, with God as the Father, Jerusalem above as our Mother, Jesus Christ as the firstborn among many brethren, and believers as His sisters and brothers. At the resurrection, when changed to spirit, we will be fully members of the God Family, elohim, embodying the ultimate expression of like Father, like son.

Man is created after the God kind. In the creation account, plants and animals reproduce each according to its own kind, yet the statement in Genesis declares that humanity is made in the image and likeness of Elohim. This establishes man as a reproduction of the God kind rather than any other category of life. The plural noun Elohim indicates a family relationship consisting of the Father and the Son, two spirit-composed Beings united in complete agreement and existing together from before the foundation of the world. Because man shares their form and shape, though not their substance, he is set apart from all other creatures and given dominion over them. This distinction carries forward into the purpose of reproduction after kind: humanity is designed to develop beyond the initial animated clay model into full likeness with the Father and the Son. The calling reveals this destiny by opening the mind to the mystery hidden from the beginning, enabling those chosen to enter the family relationship already shared by the Father and the Son and to grow toward the appointed place of rest within that family.

God created man and woman in His own image and likeness by personally forming them with His hands, unlike the rest of creation which He brought into existence by the power of His word alone. This special act established the foundation for His plan and purpose for the entire human family. Just as all life reproduces after its own kind, God made man after the God kind, placing the world under human dominion and intending to bring many sons to glory. Those whom He has called and chosen are now being created in His likeness through the work of His Spirit, which imparts His divine nature of love with its qualities of joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control. Yielding to this nature requires overcoming the opposing carnal mind that produces envy, pride, selfishness, and wrath. As a result, the called become children of God, led by His Spirit, joint heirs with Christ, and predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. At the resurrection they will be glorified exactly as He is, shining like the sun and inheriting all things, completing the transformation from the dust of the ground to full membership in the God kind.