Adam

Biblical Account

The story of Adam appears in Genesis 1–5. The Hebrew word adam means "man" or "humankind," and it sounds similar to adamah, meaning "ground" or "earth."

• Creation: God created humankind in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Genesis 2:7 records that God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into him the breath of life.
• The Garden of Eden: Adam was charged with tending and keeping the garden, and he named the animals. God commanded him not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17). God then formed Eve from one of Adam's ribs.
• Disobedience and Expulsion: Tempted by the serpent, Eve ate the fruit, and Adam ate as well. As a result, toilsome labor and death were pronounced upon them, and the two were driven out of the garden (Genesis 3).
• Descendants: Adam's sons were Cain and Abel (Cain and Abel), and he later fathered Seth. Adam is recorded as having died at the age of 930 (Genesis 5:5).

Significance Within the Bible

Adam stands at the head of the genealogies in 1 Chronicles 1:1 and Luke 3:38. In Romans 5:12-21, Paul draws a contrast: through one man, Adam, sin and death entered the world, and through one man, Jesus Christ, righteousness and life have come. In 1 Corinthians 15:45, Christ is called "the last Adam."

Interpretations and Debates

• Original sin: Beginning with Augustine, the Western church developed the doctrine of original sin, which holds that Adam's sin is passed on to all humanity. The Reformed tradition, including Presbyterians, follows covenant theology in regarding Adam as the covenant head who represented humankind. The Wesleyan tradition, including Methodists and Holiness churches, also affirms original sin, while emphasizing that God's prevenient grace enables people to respond to Him. The Eastern Orthodox Church tends to hold that what is passed on is not guilt as such but death and a fallen nature.
• Protoevangelium: Genesis 3:15 has traditionally been read as the "first gospel," the earliest announcement of Christ's victory.
• Historicity: Some regard Adam as an actual historical figure, while others view the account as a theological narrative representing humanity as a whole. This question is closely tied to the creation and evolution debate.
• Extrabiblical embellishments: Depicting the forbidden fruit as an apple is a convention of Western art with no basis in the text. The popular belief that "men have one fewer rib" and the story of Lilith as Adam's first wife are likewise traditions from outside the Bible.

In the Korean Church

In Sunday school curricula, Adam and Eve are introduced when students first learn about creation, the Garden of Eden, and the Fall. Sermons frequently take Romans 5 as their text and contrast "the first Adam and the last Adam" to explain sin and salvation.