Adam

Adam was uniquely created by God, formed from the dust of the ground and given the breath of life. He was made in God's image and placed in the Garden of Eden to tend it and keep it. God brought all animals to Adam to be named, but among them no suitable helper was found. So God caused Adam to sleep, took a rib from his side, and formed Eve—bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh.

In Eden, Adam and Eve enjoyed unbroken fellowship with God. They could eat from any tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which God forbade under penalty of death. When the serpent tempted Eve and she ate the forbidden fruit, she gave some to Adam, who was with her, and he ate as well.

Immediately, everything changed. Their innocence was lost, shame entered the world, and they hid from God. When confronted, Adam blamed Eve and even God: "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree." God pronounced judgment: the ground was cursed, labor would be toilsome, and death would now be humanity's lot. Adam and Eve were banished from Eden, lest they eat from the tree of life and live forever in their fallen state.

Adam became the father of Cain, Abel, Seth, and other sons and daughters. He lived 930 years, seeing humanity multiply and spread across the earth. Through Adam, all humanity inherited a sinful nature—but God promised that Eve's offspring would one day crush the serpent's head.