Stephen Charnock wrote a book in the 17th century called “The Existence and Attributes of God.” It is largely recognized as the best and most complete treatment of God’s attributes (those qualities of God that make God uniquely God).
I found the section below from that book while researching for one of the lesson plans I am working on, and it is good. It is a summary of how we often insult God’s goodness. Charnock shows us clearly the gross sinfulness of sin because He parallels our sins to God’s goodness. What is God’s goodness? Wayne Grudem says this: The goodness of God means that God is the final standard of good, and that all that God is and does is worthy of approval.
Sin is exceedingly sinful when we get a clear picture of the One we’ve sinned against. There is no such thing as a small sin. Why? Because all sin is an offense against the greatest and best Being that ever was or ever will be. Our sin is always an offense against some particular aspect of God’s goodness.
NOTE: Charnock uses the word “contemn” to describe how we have sinned against God’s goodness by treating it with disrespect, disbelief and/or distrust. Don’t let the old word throw you.
——BEGIN CHARNOCK——
1. We abused His goodness in Adam, when man was first created. Man preferred to believe Satan, to act autonomously, to distrust his Maker. (Genesis 3).
2. Since God is definitely good, to abuse His goodness is the height of folly and ingratitude. The abuse and contempt of divine goodness is base and wicked, because God is the highest goodness, pure goodness that cannot have anything in him worthy of our contempt. Such a Proprietor and Benefactor should be adored, worshipped and loved supremely.
3. God considers all human contempt of his goodness as a heinous sin. He never rebukes men with anything but with the abuse of the good things he has granted them, and the mindfulness of the duties arising from such bountifulness (1 Samuel 2:28; 2 Samuel 12:7-9). Thus benefits are given to us no longer than we obey (Joshua 24:20).
4. We abuse His goodness and despise it when we forget it or act as if it isn't there. Or else we choose to enjoy the mercies, and forget the Giver. The Israelites "forgot God their Saviour, which hath done great things in Egypt" (Psalm 106:21).
5. His goodness is lightly considered when we murmur, grumble and act impatiently.
6. We disrespect His goodness when we continue in unbelief and lack of repentance. His goodness is meant to lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4).
7. We treat God's goodness lightly when we distrust His wise and powerful providence.
8. Man contemns God's goodness when proper duties are laid aside and left undone.
9. The goodness of God is thought of lightly when we rely upon our services to procure God's good will to us; when we think that fasting and vows and promises from our side somehow will render God of a better disposition to us, whereas in real fact God is always good to us.
10. The goodness of God is abused when we give up our souls and affections to those benefits we have from God, to such an extent that we forget the Giver, and be turned to lovers of self rather than lovers of God.
11. Finally, God's benevolence is mocked when we sin more freely on account of that goodness from above, and employ God's benefits to satisfy our own lusts. "According to the multitude of his fruit, he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land, they have made goodly images" (Hosea 10:1).