John's Common Phrases

When I do this kind of study, comparing passages, I like to put the passages next to each other in a table. That makes it easier to line up the different elements. Here’s some of the stuff I found by doing my comparison of John 1:1-18 and John 3:16-21 that way.
Both passages use similar phrases/words: God’s one and only Son, believe, life, the world, truth, and, of course, light. There are also some connecting ideas that aren’t so obvious, but first, let’s look a little closer at the similar phrases/words.
In John 1, vs. 14 and 18, we find the phrase “the one and only Son.” There are some who try to spin this to mean all kinds of things other than what John originally intended. People don’t like the idea that Jesus is God, but so is the Father (and the Holy Spirit, but that’s not part of this passage). John is very clear about this in the words he uses and in the greater context of his writing.
Look closely at verse 18: “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.” There’s no legitimate way to spin that in any other way than that the Son is God! In fact, most commentators agree that a more technically accurate translations of “the one and only Son, who is himself God” would be “the one and only God.” Yes, this does cause some trouble when we try to understand the Trinity, but the reality is that we will never be able to grasp exactly how God can be three distinct Persons who are One in essence. It’s one of the mysteries of God that we have to accept, not because we fully understand it but because God has told us it is so.
While this is a fascinating topic, it’s a bit of a rabbit trail right now. When I return, I’ll get back to repeated phrases in John’s prologue and the passage in John 3. (If you want to dialogue about the Trinity, you can shoot me a comment.)