Spiritual Commitment, Religious Practices, and Marital Stability among Christian Couples across Different Cultural Contexts: A Systematic Review

Marriage remains one of the most important social and spiritual institutions across societies, particularly within Christianity where it is regarded as a sacred covenant grounded in love, faithfulness, and spiritual commitment. Despite the importance of marriage, rising rates of marital instability, emotional disconnection, and divorce continue to affect Christian families globally. This study systematically reviewed existing literature on spiritual commitment, religious practices, and marital stability among Christian couples across different cultural contexts. The review aimed to examine the influence of spiritual commitment on marital stability, assess the role of religious practices in promoting marital satisfaction, explore the influence of cultural contexts on Christian marital relationships, and identify mediating factors linking spirituality with marital stability. The study adopted a systematic review methodology guided by PRISMA procedures. Relevant studies published between 2020 and 2025 were retrieved from electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, JSTOR, and ScienceDirect. Findings from the review revealed that spiritual commitment positively influences marital stability by strengthening emotional intimacy, communication, trust, resilience, and relationship commitment among Christian couples. Religious practices such as prayer, Bible study, church attendance, and faith-based counseling were also found to promote marital satisfaction and emotional bonding. The review further established that cultural context shapes the expression and interpretation of spirituality within marriage through differences in gender roles, family systems, and societal expectations. Communication quality, forgiveness, emotional intimacy, resilience, and social support emerged as important mediating factors linking spirituality with marital stability. The study concludes that spirituality remains a significant protective factor for healthy and stable marriages among Christian couples across diverse cultural settings.