The first man could decide whether to obey God or not. He chose disobedience. “Adam was not deceived,” but he died a willful sinner. (1 Timothy 2:14) Yet, what about Adam’s descendants? They could choose either to serve God to the best of their imperfect ability or to disobey their Creator.​—Joshua 24:15.

Jesus came “to give his soul a ransom in exchange for many.” (Mark 10:45) But who are the “many”? Adam is evidently excluded because he was a perfect man who deliberately chose to disobey God and died as an unrepentant, willful sinner.

Like Adam, the willfully wicked do not have ransom merit and eternal life forced upon them. As Christ said: “He that exercises faith in the Son has everlasting life; he that disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.” (John 3:36)