Does God Ever Give Permission to Quit in Trials
The question of whether God permits individuals to "quit" in trials is complex, as biblical texts emphasize perseverance while also acknowledging God's sovereignty over human suffering. While God does not pervert justice or judgment [2, 10], and will not abandon the righteous [3], the concept of "quitting" often implies a cessation of effort or a departure from God's will.
Scripture consistently calls for resignation and submission to God's will during trials [5]. Christ himself set an example of resignation, as seen in his prayers in Gethsemane and his acceptance of the cross [5]. Believers are commanded to be still and know that God is sovereign, submitting to His purposes even in the face of death, loss, or bodily suffering [5]. Afflictions are understood to be appointed and regulated by God, who determines their measure and continuance [6]. However, God does not willingly send affliction [6].
There are instances where God "allows" or "permits" certain actions or situations, even those that are contrary to His ideal will, often as a concession to human sinfulness or as part of a larger divine plan. For example, God permitted divorce due to the "hard hearts" of the people, though His original design for marriage was different [11]. Similarly, the Old Testament permitted proportionate retribution ("an eye for an eye"), but Jesus later taught His followers not to insist on personal retaliation, instead finding victory through suffering [12]. In the book of Revelation, evil entities are "allowed" to rebel, but God retains ultimate authority [8]. God may also withdraw His Spirit when provoked by resistance, leading to a loss of religious conviction, as seen in the pre-Flood world [9].
While God may permit difficult circumstances, this permission does not equate to an endorsement of "quitting" in the sense of abandoning faith or responsibility. Instead, the emphasis is on enduring trials with resignation and trust in God's righteousness and love [5, 7]. Even when God's servants face dangerous situations, He protects them, sometimes through miraculous intervention and sometimes through strategic means [13]. The psalmist questions whether God will "cast off forever" or "be favorable no more," reflecting a human struggle with perseverance in the face of prolonged difficulty, yet the broader biblical narrative points to God's enduring faithfulness [1, 4].
Sources
- Psalms “Psalms 77:7 (Webster) — Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favorable no more?”
- Job “Job 8:3 (Webster) — Doth God pervert judgment; or doth the Almighty pervert justice?”
- Psalms “Psalms 37:33 (NASB) — The LORD will not leave him in his hand Or let him be condemned when he is judged.”
- Psalms “Psalms 76:8 (DRC) — Will God then cast off for ever? or will he never be more favourable again?”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Resignation — Christ set and example of -- Mt 26:39-44; Joh 12:27; 18:11. Commanded -- Ps 37:7; 46:10. Should be exhibited in Submission to the will of God. -- 2Sa 15:26; Ps 42:5,11; Mt 6:10. Submission to the sovereignty of God in his purposes. -- Ro 9:20,21. The prospect of death. -- Ac 21:13; 2Co 4:16-5:1. Loss of goods. -- Job 1:15,16,21. Loss of children. -- Job 1:18,19,21. Chastisements. -- Heb 12:9. Bodily suffering. -- Job 2:8-10. The wicked are devoid of -- Pr 19:3. Exhortation to -- Ps 37:1-11. Motives to God's greatness. -- Ps 46:10. God's love. -- Heb 12:”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Afflictions — God appoints -- 2Ki 6:33; Job 5:6,17; Ps 66:11; Am 3:6; Mic 6:9. God dispenses, as He will -- Job 11:10; Isa 10:15; 45:7. God regulates the measure of -- Ps 80:5; Isa 9:1; Jer 46:28. God determines the continuance of -- Ge 15:13,14; Nu 14:33; Isa 10:25; Jer 29:10. God does not willingly send -- La 3:33. Man is born to -- Job 5:6,7; 14:1. Saints appointed to -- 1Th 3:3. Consequent upon the fall -- Ge 3:16-19. Sin produces -- Job 4:8; 20:11; Pr 1:31. Sin visited with -- 2Sa 12:14; Ps 89:30-32; Isa 57:17; Ac 13:10,11. Often severe -- Job 16:7-16; Ps 42:7; ”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Righteousness of God, The — Is part of his character -- Ps 7:9; 116:5; 119:137. Described as Very high. -- Ps 71:19. Abundant. -- Ps 48:10. Beyond computation. -- Ps 71:15. Everlasting. -- Ps 119:142. Enduring for ever. -- Ps 111:3. The habitation of his throne. -- Ps 97:2. Christ acknowledged -- Joh 17:25. Christ committed his cause to -- 1Pe 2:23. Angels acknowledge -- Re 16:5. Exhibited in His testimonies. -- Ps 119:138,144. His commandments. -- De 4:8; Ps 119:172. His judgments. -- Ps 19:9; 119:7,62. His word. -- Ps 119:123. His ways. -- Ps 145:17. His acts. -- J”
- Revelation (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Revelation 13:14: 13:14-15 he was allowed. . . . He was then permitted: God never relinquishes ultimate authority. These creatures of evil have been allowed to rebel against God, but they are not in control.”
- Genesis (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Genesis 6:3: This comes in here as a token of God's displeasure at those who married strange wives; he threatens to withdraw from them his Spirit, whom they had grieved by such marriages, contrary to their convictions: fleshly lusts are often punished with spiritual judgments, the sorest of all judgments. Or as another occasion of the great wickedness of the old world; the Spirit of the Lord, being provoked by their resistance of his motions, ceased to strive with them, and then all religion was soon lost among them. This he warns them of before, that they might not further ve”
- Job (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Job 8:2: Doth God pervert judgment?.... In his dealings with men in the way of his providence; no, he does not; here Bildad opposes himself to Job, who he thought had charged God with injustice in dealing with him, and his children, in the manner he had done: the same thing is intended in the following question: or doth the Almighty pervert justice? for judgment and justice are the same, and often go together in Scripture, as being done either by God or men, when righteousness is executed by them, and this is never perverted by the Lord; there is no unrighteousness in him, neith”
- Mark (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Mark 10:5: 10:5-9 God permitted divorce as a concession to the hard hearts of the people. But God’s will is more aptly expressed in the passages that Jesus quotes from the law of Moses (Gen 1:27; 2:23-24; see also Mal 2:16). Jesus shows that God delights in marriage, which is the creation of a new union in which two become one. No one should rebel against God’s will by seeking to split apart what God has united.”
- Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 5:38: 5:38-42 The Old Testament permitted proportionate retribution (Exod 21:24-25; Deut 19:16-21), which was to prevent punishments from far exceeding the severity of the offense. Jesus, however, does not permit personal retaliation at all among his followers. Jesus’ way is not to insist on justice but to find victory through suffering and the cross (1 Pet 2:23). Some have taken this passage as a guide for all of life (including politics). Others understand it merely as the willingness to forgo one’s personal rights and to forgive as God has forgiven (see Matt 5:48; 1”
- 1 Samuel (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 1 Samuel 16:2: 16:2 say that you have come to make a sacrifice: God sometimes leads his servants into dangerous situations. He protects his own—sometimes by miracle, sometimes by strategy (cp. Exod 3:18-22). In Samuel’s role as a priestly judge, he would not have raised any suspicions by offering a sacrifice (see 1 Sam 10:8).”