"Wouldn't I Have to Be Fake to Respect My Man?"

But God isn't asking us to fake anything. He desires total heart change! He calls us to act in our new nature and He gives us the power we need to do this, if we are willing to trust Him.

His goal isn't:
- "Wives pretend to respect your husbands."
- "Wives use respectful words to your husband while you seethe with bitterness and contempt."
- "Wives respect your husband when you feel like he is loving you the way you want him to."
- "Husbands pretend to love your wives."
- "Husbands use loving words while hating your wife or being apathetic."

It's:

"However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband" (Eph. 5:33).

- It's an unconditional command for husbands to love their wives regardless of what the wives do.
- It's an unconditional command for wives to respect their husbands regardless of what the husbands do.

We are each responsible for our part of the relationship before God. And we will each answer to Him for what we choose to do.

If even one spouse begins to honor the Lord and submit wholeheartedly to His Lordship, amazing things can happen!

The reason God wants husbands to love their wives and wives to respect and be cooperative with their husbands? So that we will accurately portray a living, powerful Gospel message to all who see our interactions (Eph. 5:22-33) for people to see the amazing love of God for all of us. And "So that no one will malign the Word of God" (Titus 2:3-5).

The way we treat our spouse is a way bigger issue than our private relationship. The way we interact with each