Is this command obeyed?

Hopefully, all Christians are able to articulate the Gospel, at least the Gospel that is necessary or essential for unbelievers. I think there is a broader and deeper Gospel that is essential for us to preach to believers that involves things like the new covenant in His blood. Nonetheless, the "essential" Gospel for the gentile world must be known. Im not sure it is though which is a drastic statement I realize.
Here's a text that I'm pointing to that I found important on the essential content of the Gospel.

Acts 10: 35-43:

in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. He sent the message to the Israelites, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ ”‹”” ”‹he is Lord of all. You know the events that took place throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how he went about doing good and healing all who were under the tyranny of the devil, because God was with him. We ourselves are witnesses of everything he did in both the Judean country and in Jerusalem, and yet they killed him by hanging him on a tree. God raised up this man on the third day and caused him to be seen, not by all the people, but by us whom God appointed as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be the judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that through his name everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins. -- Acts 10:35-43 (CSB)

Within this first gospel presentation to the gentiles the essentials are set forth....... Jesus sent by God, Lord, was crucified, dead and resurrected for the forgiveness of sin and everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness. This is where most people stop in their understanding and presentation.

But, there is another element that is included that is actually spoken of as a direct command of Jesus to be preached in the Gospel.......Jesus will be coming back to judge the living and the dead. Peter says that Jesus commanded him and the others to preach that, in the Gospel.

Paul of course went to Peter and the others to check out his Gospel, as he says in Galatians to make sure it was right and was not running in vain. He did not prove his gospel by the numbers converted. He proved it by its content, and this after 14 years of ministry. What Gospel did Paul present to the apostles? Paul in Acts 17 preached to gentiles at Mars Hill that Jesus was the man appointed by God to judge the world in righteousness. Of course, he had already preached to them that Jesus was the Christ and yet he wanted to make sure they knew Jesus was the soon coming judge as appointed by the Father. This was the treasure Paul was entrusted to hold dear and teach.

The writer of Hebrews emphasizes this as well by saying that the resurrection of the dead and the eternal judgment are the "elementary teachings of Christ" along with faith, repentance, and baptism. ( Hebrews 6)

Once I figured out some time ago that my Gospel that I shared was lacking in this essential, I made a change purely by and in obedience to what I read to be Jesus' command to those sent out to preach. But I also asked myself why did Jesus command that his soon coming as judge must be shared with unbelievers as an essential ? It was a truth that most people I learned from would say was a negative to people coming to Christ. The answer to my question of "why" was in Scripture and found here:

Jesus replied, "Truly I tell you, the Son is not able to do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son likewise does these things. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing, and he will show him greater works than these so that you will be amazed. And just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to whom he wants. The Father, in fact, judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, so that all people may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. -- John 5:19-23 (CSB)

Note, to honor the Father, we must honor the Son and we do so by acknowledging/preaching that all judgment belongs to the Son. Hence, Jesus' command to Peter and the apostles noted in Acts 10 above that they must preach in the Gospel that Jesus is the coming judge was a matter of honoring Him (and the converse was necessarily true..... not preaching this truth was dishonoring). It was commanded. It is essential.

At this point, one would naturally shoot back and say that millions of people have heard a Gospel that did not include this commanded truth and yet are saved. Agreed..... Not the issue..... It says that Jesus commanded it to be preached. Why, because it honors Him and the Father. Here's the part that took hold of me. If we do not honor the Son, by declaring He is the soon coming judge of the world, then we do not honor the Father and by not including this glorious Christ honoring truth in our Gospel, if done knowingly, we, in a very real sense, dishonor Him.

As I've shared this truth with other Christians as I read it from the Scriptures, the other immediate kick back is a statement that if we teach that about Jesus, then people will be afraid of Jesus instead of coming to Jesus because He loves them. This is where sincerity and a good strong concern for people gets in the way of important commands and obedience. Likewise, this is where man centered Christianity has its first foothold.

Fear that people knowing the true God would cause them to turn away is a sure sign that we have slipped into pragmatism, unbelief and a false love or at least a mis-prioritized love.

Here's a passage that I always teach myself as I go forth in sharing the good news of Jesus and yet many people turn away. You know it well but it helps me keep the definition of success in ministry generally but Gospel sharing especially in full view and strengthens me:

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in Christ’s triumphal procession and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of him in every place. For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To some we are an aroma of death leading to death, but to others, an aroma of life leading to life. Who is adequate for these things? For we do not market the word of God for profit like so many. On the contrary, we speak with sincerity in Christ, as from God and before God. -- 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 (CSB)

Honoring Jesus in the way He commanded as Lord, Savior, Son of God, doing good on earth, crucified and resurrected, the soon coming judge of the ones we share with, and the source of forgiveness for all who believe in Him is a "pleasing aroma" to the Father.

Am I very concerned in love for those who are perishing. Of course. I just can't let my ideas of how to help them cause me to dishonor Jesus in the process of helping them discover Jesus and Life.

Jesus commanded us to preach to unbelievers Himself as the soon coming Judge. Simple command and even greater truth.
Even now, in our mere humanness, we might cringe at the emphasis of that. We need to get beyond and over that and embrace and even celebrate the proclamation of that as it is a pleasing aroma to the Father. In everything, especially in the Gospel, make it your aim to please God.

Robert, do you also preach this:

Isa. 26:9 --
For when the earth experiences Your judgments
The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

Jade, In response to your question. The Scripture you posted does not appear in the essential Gospel as I read it from the book of Acts. Do you have something from the historical record that would indicate that this should be preached ? There are lots of truths that we could include and it would not be error to include but I was addressing the commanded essentials. I ask if you think the truth you quoted which we all should agree with (perhaps we disagree on its application and scope) must be included in the Gospel by command of God ?

Please don't muddy the water Jade with issues I know you hold dear. I'm not attacking your understanding. Just trying to arrive at the essentials of a Gospel presentation that satisfies and is with certainty approved by God.

Not muddying the water with issues I hold dear at all.

So.... what is judgement and what is it for?

The GOSPEL of John said that God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world.

Isa. 26:9 certainly is relevant.

There is no command to explain it in the essential Gospel.

Who can understand a judgment that cannot be explained?

Also, isn't the whole GOSPEL of John essential?

I would say the Gospel of John is the heart of the Gospel.

I think this passage helps, perhaps, to answer your question.

They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts either accuse or even excuse them on the day when God judges what people have kept secret, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus. -- Romans 2:15-16 (CSB)

Romans 1 and 2 teach that all men already know God in an essential and sufficient way to be judged. They also already understand sin in an essential and sufficient way to be judged. And because of these two truths, their consciences likewise know they will one day be judged for these two things.

In eastern contexts, a lot of western Christians come in with the somewhat arrogant presupposition that easterners can't culturally comprehend or understand that there is a God and that they likewise don't know what sin or judgement is because they are a "shame" culture. Scripture says that in their consciences, deep and suppressed perhaps, is a knowledge of these truths already and our task, apparently, is to remind them or convict them of these truths that their consciences already testify to but have been suppressed in unrighteousness.

And Jade, you are muddying the waters. Superimposing your polestar truth on conversations that only relate to that truth tangentially is a muddying. Hold me to that standard also by the way. I think you have before.

Sorry, I just noticed that I didn't address a second question. I'm not sure what you mean by the Gospel of John in your question. Are you talking about the whole book or just the John 3:16 passage. If it's the whole book, then certainly, there isn't the time or the command to preach the whole book. If it's the latter and just John 3:16, then I could easily answer with John 3:17-19.

Robert,

And Jade, you are muddying the waters. Superimposing your polestar truth on conversations that only relate to that truth tangentially is a muddying.

That is your perception that has missed the mark.

I just cannot see how you can consider Isa. 26:9 to be irrelevant to the subject of judgement.

Except that it certainly is a thorn in the theology you hold dear, namely, the merciless doctrine of eternal torment that denies that mercy has triumphed over judgment.

Before this conversation gets more hostile, I will leave this thread.

"In the path of your judgments, O LORD, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul. My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. If favor is shown to the wicked, he does not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly and does not see the majesty of the LORD. O LORD, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed. Let the fire for your adversaries consume them.” (Isaiah 26:8-11)

Context.

Jade said:
"Except that it certainly is a thorn in the theology you hold dear, namely, the merciless doctrine of eternal torment that denies that mercy has triumphed over judgment"

And that one saying proves that Roberts perception was actually spot on.

Robert wrote:
/There is no command to explain it in the essential Gospel.//

I lost you here. No command to explain what? Not sure what you were referring back to.

………your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul.

John 4:14 ”“
We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the SAVIOR OF THE WORLD.

Our Lord Jesus, the SAVIOUR THE WORLD!

Is this wonderful name of Jesus the desire of your soul??

Let the fire for your adversaries consume them.

Surely this is the refining fire that consumes the all the dross re: v.9 ”“ "For when the earth experiences Your judgments The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness”!

The GOSPEL of John said that God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world.

It might be important that we are all sure of the meaning of this passage. Jesus said this of Himself. Why did he say this?
He is speaking to Nicodemus, a teacher of the law and well versed in the old testament writings. The Old Testament prophets contain two things that Messiah would do, or at least as far as Nicodemus understood them. We know now that much of Nicodemus' understanding would have been in error.

Anyway, purpose #1 was the salvation of Israel, which the Jews took to be a literal deliverance from Roman bondage and a restoration of Jewish king. Jesus counters this by describing to Nicodemus that like the serpent in the wilderness, He would be placed on a pole as a sacrifice for sins and a way to eternal life.

Purpose #2 was the final judgement when the world (sinful man) would be condemned, meaning to receive a sentence of damnation. So Jesus is saying, "My present coming is not to bring judgement on the Earth. My present coming is to be the sacrifice by which men are saved."

The next time Jesus returns will be for one purpose, judgement. Those who are born again will enter into eternal life, the promise and hope of every believer. But for the rest it will be the great and terrible day of the Lord and judgement will come for sin and rejection of salvation.

Robert: I do think what you present as the core elements of the gospel are right on. You may have said this, but repentance is a huge element as well.

Thanks Travis,

The commanded response is different than the gospel itself so I didn't include it as the Gospel.

I would say the right Scriptural response is Godly Sorrow, Repentance, Trust in the name of Jesus to save you from your sins and judgement and Confess Him as your Lord to obey in this life and the one to come. Of course, many have come to saving faith with not all of that but if someone asks me "What should I do to be saved?", then all of those would be included because they are all included in the Gospel essentials.