Genesis Profiles

ADAM

Genesis 2:15–5:5

We can hardly imagine what it must have been like to be the first and only person on earth. It’s one thing for us to be lonely; it was another for Adam, who had never known another human being. He missed much that makes us who we are—he had no childhood, no parents, no family or friends. He had to learn to be human on his own. Fortunately, God didn’t let him struggle too long before presenting him with an ideal companion and mate, Eve. Theirs was a complete, innocent, and open oneness, without a hint of shame.

One of Adam’s first conversations with his delightful new companion must have been about the rules of the garden. Before God made Eve, he had already given Adam complete freedom in the garden, with the responsibility to tend and care for it. But one tree was off-limits, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam would have told Eve all about this. She knew, when Satan approached her, that the tree’s fruit was not to be eaten. However, she decided to eat the forbidden fruit. Then she offered some to Adam. At that moment, the fate of creation was on the line. Sadly, Adam didn’t pause to consider the consequences. He went ahead and ate.

In that moment of small rebellion something large, beautiful, and free was shattered . . . God’s perfect creation. Adam was separated from God by his desire to act on his own. The effect on a plate glass window is the same whether a pebble or a boulder is hurled at it—the thousands of fragments can never be regathered.

In the case of Adam’s sin, however, God already had a plan in motion to overcome the effects of the rebellion. The entire Bible is the story of how that plan unfolds, ultimately leading to God’s own visit to earth through his Son, Jesus. His sinless life and death made it possible for God to offer forgiveness to all who want it. Our small and large acts of rebellion prove that we are descendants of Adam. Only by asking forgiveness of Jesus Christ can we become children of God.

Strengths and accomplishments	The first zoologist—namer of animals The first landscape architect, placed in the garden to care for it Father of the human race The first person made in the image of God, and the first human to share an intimate personal relationship with God
Weaknesses and mistakes	Avoided responsibility and blamed others; chose to hide rather than to confront; made excuses rather than admitting the truth Greatest mistake: teamed up with Eve to bring sin into the world
Lessons from his life	As Adam’s descendants, we all reflect to some degree the image of God God wants people who, though free to do wrong, choose instead to love him We should not blame others for our faults We cannot hide from God
Vital statistics	Where: Garden of Eden Occupation: Caretaker, gardener, farmer Relatives: Wife: Eve. Sons: Cain, Abel, Seth. Numerous other children. The only man who never had an earthly mother or father.
Key verses	“And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat” (Genesis 3:12). “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22).

Adam’s story is told in Genesis 1:26—5:5. He is also mentioned in 1 Chronicles 1:1; Luke 3:38; Romans 5:14; 1 Corinthians 15:22, 45; 1 Timothy 2:13, 14.