Why does Matthew's genealogy begin with Abraham instead of Adam?
The coming King and Kingdom program began with Abraham, not Adam. The promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David form the foundation, so Matthew traces Jesus’ line only as far back as Abraham rather than going all the way to Adam.
Les explains that Matthew 1:1 calls Jesus 'the son of David, the son of Abraham,' and that the genealogy stops there. It does not go all the way back to Adam, because everything regarding the coming of the King and the Kingdom began with Abraham, not Adam. The Old Testament promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David are now coming to fulfillment, and the New Testament is an extension of the Old Testament program rather than a separate Christianity with a wall between the testaments. Les also notes that only four women are listed in the whole genealogy—the very four many would rather leave out—but God sees fit to include them.
The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
More Questions
Why does Matthew's genealogy only go back to Abraham and not to Adam?
Matthew's genealogy stops at Abraham rather than going back to Adam because God's plan regarding the coming King and Kingdom began with Abraham.