text: a question about st. paul (writer of all those letters)? somebody told me that he was a womanizer, and actually begged god to take this sin away from him.   but god refused in order to teach him a lesson in humility.  has anyone else heard anything to this effect? that story is the product of someone's imagination and a perversion of the scriptures. probably the person who made it up had a problem in that area himself and "read into" the scriptures to give himself some sort of justification for his own sins. compare these two passages. the first one is where this false teaching has it's shaky foundation.  and lest i should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of satan to buffet me, lest i should be exalted above measure. for this thing i besought the lord thrice, that it might depart from me. and he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. most gladly therefore will i rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of christ may rest upon me.  2 corinthians 12:7-9   many scholars have wrestled with trying to determine exactly what the "thorn" in paul's flesh was and no one has come up with a definitive answer but only a plethora of theories. that he might have been a womanizer doesn't even make it to the top 10 of that list of possibilities. then look at what paul said about himself and marriage and fornication.  "now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: it is good for a man not to touch a woman. nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. the wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that satan tempt you not for your incontinency. but i speak this by permission, and not of commandment. for i would that all men were even as i myself. but every man hath his proper gift of god, one after this manner, and another after that. " 1 corinthians 7:1-7   paul had what is known as the gift of celibacy or staying single without being overcome by lust. jesus talked about this to his disciples although he didn't use that term for it.  "for there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. he that is able to receive it, let him receive it."  matthew 19:12   notice that jesus doesn't make this a command to give up having sex in order to serve god but says for those who are able to receive it, let them receive it.