📖 TOPIC: Holiness: Joseph As A Case Study

Main Text: Genesis 37–50

Focus Verse:

⁠“How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” — Genesis 39:9

🔹 INTRODUCTION

When people hear the name Joseph in discussions about holiness, they often think only of his victory over the temptation from Potiphar’s wife.

While that act of purity was remarkable, Joseph’s life reveals that holiness is much more — it is a lifestyle of consistent obedience, integrity, humility, and love for God.

He displayed holiness in forgiveness, diligence, divine wisdom, faithfulness in suffering, and victory over temptation.

Holiness, therefore, is not a single act but a continuous way of life that reflects the character of God.

Joseph always viewed life from God’s perspective — and he could not afford to displease Him.

Listed below are ways Joseph displayed God’s holiness:

1️⃣ Forgiveness

📖 Genesis 50:19–21; Matthew 6:14–15; Ephesians 4:32

Joseph’s brothers betrayed him, sold him, and left him for dead. Yet when he met them again as governor of Egypt, he chose forgiveness over revenge.

His response reflected a heart surrendered to God and free from bitterness.

2️⃣ Diligence and Faithful Stewardship

📖 Genesis 39:2–4; Colossians 3:23–24; Proverbs 22:29

Even as a slave in Potiphar’s house, Joseph served faithfully and with excellence.

He managed Potiphar’s household and resources with integrity, handling everything God’s way.

3️⃣ Divine Wisdom

📖 Genesis 41:38–40; James 1:5; Daniel 2:21

By divine wisdom, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams and presented a God-inspired plan that preserved both Egypt and Israel from famine.

4️⃣ Faithfulness in Suffering and Injustice

📖 Genesis 39:19–23; 40:1–end; Romans 8:28; 2 Timothy 2:12

Though falsely accused and unjustly imprisoned, Joseph remained faithful and useful to God even in confinement.

Instead of despair, he continued to serve and minister to others by interpreting their dreams.

5️⃣ Victory Over Temptation

📖 Genesis 39:7–12; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Timothy 2:22

Potiphar’s wife persistently tempted Joseph, but he refused to sin.

He fled rather than fall.

🌿 CONCLUSION

Joseph’s life shows that holiness is not limited to moral purity.

It encompasses forgiveness, faithfulness, divine wisdom, and steadfastness through trials.

To live holy is to live every moment with the awareness that we belong to God, and therefore must choose His way above all else.