TCR 48 - An Image and a Likeness

TCR 48 [5, 20]

. . . an image of God was a receiver of God, 
and since God is Love itself and Wisdom itself, 
the image of God is the receiving 
of love and wisdom from God in the person; 
but the likeness of God was 
the perfect likeness and complete appearance
of love and wisdom being present in a person 
and of belonging to him. 
'For a person does not know 
but that he loves and is wise of himself, 
or that he wills good and understands truth of himself. 
In fact not a whit is of himself, 
but from God. 
It is only God who loves of Himself 
and is wise of Himself, 
because God is Love itself and Wisdom itself. 
The likeness or appearance that love and wisdom, 
or good and truth, 
are present in a person as if they belonged to him 
is what makes a man human, 
and thus able to be conjoined to God 
and so to live for ever. 
The consequence of this is 
that person's humanity is the result of his ability 
to will good and understand truth 
exactly as if he did so of himself, 
while at the same time knowing and believing 
that he does so from God. 
For to the extent that he knows and believes this, 
God places His image in a person; 
it would be otherwise
if he believed it was of himself and not from God.

A person has been created so that he may receive 
love and wisdom from God, 
yet it appears exactly as if he did so from himself, 
which is to allow him to receive them 
and so be conjoined; 
therefore a person is born 
without any love or any knowledge, 
without even the ability 
to love and be wise of himself; 
therefore if he attributes all the good of love 
and all the truth of wisdom to God 
he becomes a living person, 
but if he attributes them to himself 
he becomes a dead man.