Personality Reflection of Christian Religious Education Teachers on God’s Faithfulness to Abraham (Genesis 15:18): A Study at SDN 091628 Bandar Buntu

Abstract

This study examines the role of personality competence of Christian Religious Education (CRE) teachers in fostering students’ understanding of God’s faithfulness to Abraham based on Genesis 15:18 at SDN 091628 Bandar Buntu, Simalungun. Teacher personality competence is a critical dimension of professional teaching because it shapes the moral climate of the classroom and serves as a living model through which biblical values are interpreted by elementary learners. The study employed a quantitative descriptive-correlational design involving 68 Christian students as respondents and one CRE teacher as the primary instructional subject. Data were collected through a Likert-scale student perception questionnaire measuring teacher personality competence and a cognitive test assessing students’ understanding of the concept of divine faithfulness. The instruments were validated through expert judgment and tested for reliability using Cronbach’s Alpha. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and simple regression. The findings indicate that the teacher’s personality competence is perceived to be in the high category, particularly in the dimensions of integrity, consistency, and emotional stability. Students’ understanding of God’s faithfulness is categorized as moderate to high, with stronger performance in narrative recall than in theological interpretation and personal application. Inferential analysis reveals a significant positive relationship between teacher personality competence and students’ understanding of Genesis 15:18. The regression results show that teacher personality contributes meaningfully to students’ learning outcomes, although other ecological factors remain influential. The study concludes that strengthening the personality competence of CRE teachers is a strategic pathway for deepening students’ comprehension and internalization of biblical faithfulness in Indonesian primary school contexts.