Developing Social Competence through Forgiveness: A Biblical-Educational Study of Matthew 6:14-15 at SDN 060834 Medan
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Abstract
Social competence is a fundamental aspect of students’ holistic development, particularly in elementary education where interpersonal skills and moral awareness are actively formed. Within Christian education, forgiveness represents a core biblical value that shapes social relationships and ethical behavior. This study aims to examine the role of forgiveness, grounded in Matthew 6:14-15, in developing students’ social competence within Christian Religious Education. The research was conducted at SDN 060834 Medan, involving 33 Christian students and nine Christian teachers, including a Christian Religious Education teacher. Employing a quantitative research design with a descriptive-correlational approach, data were collected using a structured Likert-scale questionnaire measuring forgiveness-based instructional practices and students’ social competence. The instrument demonstrated acceptable validity and reliability. Descriptive statistics were used to identify levels of forgiveness-oriented teaching and social competence, while Pearson’s product-moment correlation was applied to examine the relationship between the two variables. The results indicate that forgiveness-based Christian teaching is implemented at a high level and that students demonstrate strong social competence, particularly in empathy, cooperation, and conflict resolution. Statistical analysis reveals a positive and significant correlation between forgiveness-based instruction and students’ social competence. These findings suggest that when forgiveness is consistently modeled and taught by educators, students are more likely to develop constructive interpersonal behaviors and emotional sensitivity. This study concludes that forgiveness functions as an effective pedagogical resource for social competence development and serves as a bridge between biblical values and educational practice. Integrating Matthew 6:14-15 into Christian Religious Education contributes meaningfully to students’ social and moral formation, particularly within pluralistic public school contexts.
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