Abstract

Background: Marital mismatch refers to a union in which spouses hold divergent religious beliefs, moral commitments, or spiritual orientations, often generating relational, psychological, and spiritual tensions within the marital relationship. In contemporary society, particularly within Catholic and Anglican contexts, such divergences raise both social and theological concerns regarding the nature of marital unity and spiritual communion.

Methods: This study adopted an exegetical and analytical research design. The text of 1 Corinthians 6:14 was examined using historical and theological exegesis, while Value Congruence Theory and Cognitive Dissonance Theory were employed as interpretative frameworks. Relevant empirical studies on interfaith and religiously incongruent marriages were reviewed to situate the discussion within contemporary scholarship.

Results: Findings indicate that value congruence in core religious and moral beliefs fosters marital stability, effective communication, and emotional bonding, whereas value incongruence predicts recurrent conflict and dissatisfaction. Cognitive dissonance emerges when individuals experience psychological strain arising from inconsistencies between deeply held religious convictions and marital obligations. Empirical literature further shows that interfaith unions frequently encounter challenges related to identity formation, religious participation, and communal belonging. Exegetical analysis of 1 Corinthians 6:14 underscores themes of bodily sanctity and spiritual unity grounded in resurrection theology, thereby highlighting the theological depth of spiritual harmony in Christian marriage.

Conclusion: Marital mismatch has significant social and spiritual consequences, including psychological stress, diminished religious engagement, social marginalization, and theological tension concerning the meaning of spiritual unity in Christian matrimony. These findings suggest the need for deliberate pastoral guidance and practical frameworks to support couples and ecclesiastical leaders confronting religious divergence within marital contexts.