Thank you for the comparative question on the New Testament, “How different are the gospels from the other books of the New Testament?”
The New Testament Books are letters. They are addressed to the early Jewish and non-Jewish believers in Christ Jesus. The setting for the letters makes them unique.
Here are some thoughts for one’s consideration of the differences between the Gospels and the Epistles:
A. The Gospels record the life of Jesus while the Epistles record the life of the believers.
B. The Gospels record the ministry of Jesus while Epistles record the ministry of the believers.
C. The Gospels record the words of Jesus while the Epistles record the words of the Apostles.
D. The Gospels record the misunderstanding by the Jews of Jesus as Savior and Messiah while the Epistles record the understanding of believers as Jesus as Savior.
E. The Gospels record the opposition to Jesus while the Epistles record the opposition to the believers in Jesus.
F. The Gospels record the Jewish believers of Jesus while the Epistles record the Gentile believers of Jesus.
G. The Gospels record the events in Israel while the Epistles record the events beyond Israel.
H. The Gospels record the obtaining of salvation by Jesus Christ while the Epistles record the proclamation of the salvation by Jesus Christ.
I. The Gospel records do not state the authorship of the Gospel while the Epistles record the authorship of the Epistles.
J. The Gospels record do not record an addressee except for the Gospel of Luke while the Epistles record an addressee for the Epistles.
May I encourage reading Matthew and John in understanding the words and works of Jesus while reading Acts and I Corinthians or I John in understanding the words and works of the followers of Jesus Christ.
Summary: The Gospels record the words and works of Jesus Christ while the Epistles record the words and works of the followers of Jesus Christ.
-Kingston