Instruction in religion, as presented in the Bible, is a foundational aspect of the faith journey for believers. It encompasses the teaching and learning of God's Word, the doctrines of the faith, and the application of biblical principles in daily life. The Bible emphasizes the importance of instruction in nurturing a deep and abiding relationship with God, fostering spiritual growth, and equipping believers for service.

Biblical Basis for Instruction

The Bible underscores the necessity of instruction in several key passages. In the Old Testament, the Shema, found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, serves as a central command for the Israelites: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. Teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up" . This passage highlights the importance of teaching God's commandments to future generations, ensuring that His laws and love are perpetuated.

In the New Testament, the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 further emphasizes the role of instruction: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" . Here, Jesus commands His followers to teach others, ensuring that His teachings are spread and adhered to across the world.

Role of the Church and Family

The church and family are primary institutions for religious instruction. The Apostle Paul, in his letters, often addresses the role of church leaders in teaching sound doctrine. In 1 Timothy 4:13, Paul instructs Timothy, "Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching" . This directive underscores the responsibility of church leaders to provide sound biblical teaching.

Similarly, the family is seen as a crucial environment for religious instruction. Ephesians 6:4 advises, "Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath; instead, bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" . This verse highlights the parental duty to nurture children in the faith, guiding them in understanding and living out biblical truths.

Methods of Instruction

Instruction in religion can take various forms, including formal teaching, personal study, and communal worship. The early church, as described in Acts 2:42, "devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer" . This communal approach to learning and worship was integral to the spiritual growth of early Christians.

Personal study and meditation on Scripture are also vital components of religious instruction. Psalm 119:105 declares, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" , illustrating the guiding role of Scripture in a believer's life. Regular engagement with the Bible through reading, meditation, and memorization helps individuals internalize God's Word and apply it to their lives.

Purpose and Outcome

The ultimate purpose of instruction in religion is to cultivate a mature faith that manifests in love, obedience, and service. As Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work" . This passage encapsulates the transformative power of biblical instruction, equipping believers to live out their faith effectively.

Through diligent instruction in religion, believers are prepared to face the challenges of life with a biblical worldview, grounded in the truth of God's Word and empowered by the Holy Spirit.Exodus 13:11-16
And it shall be when the LORD shall bring you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and to your fathers, and shall give it you,
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Leviticus 11:44-47
For I am the LORD your God: you shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall you defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
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Numbers 15:38,39
Speak to the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put on the fringe of the borders a ribbon of blue:
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Deuteronomy 27:1-26
And Moses with the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, Keep all the commandments which I command you this day.
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Deuteronomy 31:19
Now therefore write you this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.
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Deuteronomy 32:1-47
Give ear, O you heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
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Joshua 4:1-11
And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying,
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2 Chronicles 17:7-9
Also in the third year of his reign he sent to his princes, even to Benhail, and to Obadiah, and to Zechariah, and to Nethaneel, and to Michaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah.
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Nehemiah 8:7,8
Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place.
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Isaiah 28:9,10
Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
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Matthew 5:1-48
And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came to him:
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Mark 12:35
And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David?
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Luke 4:16-21
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
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Luke 19:47
And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him,
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Luke 20:1-18
And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came on him with the elders,
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Luke 24:27
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
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John 7:14
Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.
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John 8:2
And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came to him; and he sat down, and taught them.
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Romans 2:19,20
And are confident that you yourself are a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
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Galatians 6:6
Let him that is taught in the word communicate to him that teaches in all good things.
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The Catechism of Geneva. AD 1536 and 1541.
... and served a good purpose in promoting an intelligent piety and virtue on the solid
basis of systematic Biblical instruction. Educational religion, which grows ...
/.../ 58 the catechism of.htm

On the Rule of Religion, the Word of God, and the Scriptures in ...
... form is the true intimation or signification of the will of God respecting religion. ...
The end is the instruction of man, to his own salvation and the glory of ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 2/disputation v on the rule.htm

Family Religion.
... Family religion includes parental bible instruction, family prayer, and
religious education, government, discipline and example. ...
/.../philips/the christian home/chapter iii family religion.htm

Catechetical Instruction.
... Sec. 3. Catechumens. The term Catechumen denoted a person who was receiving instruction
in the Christian religion with a view to being in due time baptized. ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/chapter ii catechetical instruction.htm

Introductory Notice.
... [This treatise shows what was thought in the age of Saint Augustin to be
the most needful instruction in religion. The Latin text ...
/.../augustine/on the catechising of the uninstructed/introductory notice.htm

Moravians, or United Brethren.
... Their instruction in religion, and in all the necessary branches of human knowledge,
in good schools, carried on separately for each sex, is under the special ...
/.../hayward/the book of religions/moravians or united brethren.htm

The 'education Question' in Trinidad
... The Convent has not only spread instruction and religion among the wealthier coloured
class: but it has done more; it has been a centre of true civilisation ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter xiv the education question.htm

Training of Ministers and Teachers Neglected.
... country. At the beginning Bolzius and Gronau gave daily instruction in religion,
the one four, the other three hours daily. In 1741 ...
/.../bente/american lutheranism/training of ministers and teachers.htm

Proposition Though the Necessity and Indispensableness of all the ...
... men have great need to be taught and instructed in matters of religion. ... But most
men have great need of particular teaching and much instruction, not without ...
/.../v proposition v though the.htm

A Young Man's Best Counsellor
... it enjoins. The principle is that true wisdom is based on religion, and
the duty is to listen to parental instruction. 'My son,' is ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/a young mans best counsellor.htm

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