Adam's Profile
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. Man 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 man'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.
Adam's 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
Adam's 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 Adam's 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
Adam's 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
"The
man said, 'The woman you put here with me - she gave me some fruit from the tree,
and I ate it.' " (Genesis 3:12). "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will
be made alive." (1st Corinthians 15:22).
Adam's story is told in Genesis 1:26 through Genesis 5:5.He is also mentioned
in 1st Chronicles 1:1; Luke 3:38; Romans 5:14; 1st Corinthians 15:22,45; 1st Timothy
2:13,14.
|