Christian Religious Education Teachers’ Competence in Cultivating the Value of Holiness: A Reflective Study of Exodus 30:20 at SMP Negeri 6 Satu Atap Bahorok

Abstract

This study investigates Christian Religious Education (CRE) teachers’ competence in cultivating the value of holiness through an exegetical reflection on Exodus 30:20 within the educational context of SMP Negeri 6 Satu Atap Bahorok. The biblical text emphasizes ritual washing before entering the Tent of Meeting, symbolizing reverence and preparedness before a holy God. The research seeks to determine how the pedagogical competence of the CRE teacher influences students’ theological understanding and ethical internalization of holiness in contemporary school life. Using a quantitative descriptive method with a correlational approach, the study involved all 15 Christian students enrolled at the school as research participants. Data were collected through a validated Likert-scale questionnaire measuring two principal variables: teacher competence (including exegetical mastery, instructional clarity, contextualization, classroom management, and assessment alignment) and students’ understanding of holiness (including theological interpretation, conceptual comprehension, and practical application). Reliability was tested using Cronbach’s Alpha, and data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and Pearson’s Product-Moment correlation at a 0.05 significance level. The findings reveal a positive and statistically significant relationship between perceived teacher competence and students’ understanding of holiness. Students demonstrated stronger cognitive and applicative comprehension when instruction integrated theological depth with dialogical engagement and ethical modeling. The study concludes that pedagogical competence functions as a hermeneutical bridge between biblical ritual symbolism and adolescent character formation, affirming the importance of professional excellence in CRE instruction for fostering disciplined and reverent Christian living.