Adam in the New Testament

One challenge to biblical authority is our understanding of Adam. Freshly translated, this acknowledged modern classic defends the historic church position that all human beings descend from Adam as the first human being. 


---

Denying the historicity of Adam has become increasingly present within evangelical circles. Was Adam the first historical man? Does the answer really matter? And does it affect any important doctrines in the Bible?


Carefully examining key passages of Scripture, Versteeg proves that all human beings descended from Adam, the first man. He argues that if this is not true, the entire history of redemption documented in Scripture unravels and we have no gospel in any meaningful sense.


“Many thanks for reissuing this helpful work. . . . Anyone reading this will appreciate that contemporary discussions of Adam are still treading the same ground.”

—C. John Collins, Professor of Old Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary

 

“A number of theologians have postulated that Adam is a ‘teaching model’ in the New Testament. Versteeg’s remarkably cogent and concise book tells us why this view is impossible.”

—John M. Frame, Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy, Reformed Theological Seminary


“Given the recent debates about the existence of Adam . . . Versteeg shows with vigor and cogency that the New Testament’s teaching requires a historical Adam.”

—Vern S. Poythress, Professor of New Testament Interpretation and Editor of The Westminster Theological Journal, Westminster Theological Seminary


“What an important book this is for today! Sane, clear, and thorough, it offers a stout answer for those questioning the historicity of Adam and lucidly shows why it remains nonnegotiable.”

—Michael Reeves, Head of Theology, Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship


J. P. Versteeg (1938–87) was a New Testament professor at the Theological University of the Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (in Apeldoorn) and a minister in that church.