laughingheart, post: 4251078, member: 245919"]Sin is about offending God. What about the sin of the husband who does not love his wife as Christ loved the church? What about the vows to honour and respect? If you love them and want their best, does demanding what you want despite the wishes of your partner, show love? Is your wife tired, ill, sad or overwhelmed? Be considerate. Help where you can and care about her. These are biblical mandates. Maybe it is time to look at your responsibilities towards your wife as an act of love for God. I am not sure how impressed God is with any of his children stomping their feet and demanding their rights. Love your neighbour/wife as you love yourself.
On this and a variety of other topics, there can be a place for calling someone out on not doing what they are supposed to. If I behave in an unloving manner toward my wife, generally at some point she will point it out to me.
I notice with my wife's people-group, the parents are very insistent that their children honor them. This seemed a bit odd to me at first, but it is good if parents teach their children to do what is right. This is more obvious with children because parents are so influential on children, who can turn out really messed up if their parents...or someone... doesn't train them. But even in other relationships, insisting the other person do what is right isn't always a bad thing.
Somehow, early on I to this idea that being mistreated was noble, maybe because of Christ on the cross, martyrs, etc., but it wouldn't be good to let your children treat you badly. It is not good for them, and it is not loving to not teach your children to honor you. In relationships with your brethren in Christ, it can be appropriate to confront others. Leviticus says do not hate your brother in your heart but rebuke your neighbor frankly lest you share in his sin.
And when it comes to marriage, especially a Christian marriage, there is certainly a place for pointing out when your spouse isn't doing right. And if your husband or wife cuts you off from sex, confronting the spouse over that can be a very healthy thing for the marriage. Painting such conversations as stomping your feet and demanding your rights may not be very helpful.
Also, the way Paul puts it... agreeing to abstain from sex... does put the weight on the pro-sex side of things in the marriage. If someone has a lower sex drive than the other partner, there may be hundred reasons not to have sex. Some people seem to think there needs to be some special 'mood' for sex. I don't really relate to that concept, though some moods might enhance it. Having sex to fulfill a partner's physical and emotional needs, rather than just because one wants it for oneself, may be necessary to have a healthy relationship in this aspect of marriage.
As far as demanding sex goes, I modified the Braveheart line for this situation once, "I demand my rights as a husband." The guy who used it was slaughtering the nobleman who used the right of first night to adulterously rape his wife. I used it for something else, with my wife, once, and things turned out well. But that was being playful. I don't consider this to be sinful.