There is a place on the website where you can compare the TPT to other translations, but I'll use it to compare a passage to the Greek. The TPT will come first, then the Greek, then my comments.
John 3:17 “God did not send his Son into the world to judge and condemn the world, but to be its Savior and rescue it!
Byz Greek: Οὐ γὰρ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἵνα κρίνῃ τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα σωθῇ ὁ κόσμος δι᾽ αὐτοῦ.
Comments: the TPT makes one word, "judge," into two: "judge and condemn." I see no need for that. Adding words in the target language makes it a paraphrase.
A literal rendering of the last phrase would be "in order that the world might be saved through Him." The TPT changes the verb form of "be saved" into a noun phrase, "be its Savior." That's a standard functional equivalence technique. However, it then adds a completely unneeded phrase, "and rescue it." What, the average American can't understand "save"?
18 So now there is no longer any condemnation for those who believe in him, but the unbeliever already lives under condemnation because they do not believe in the name of God’s beloved Son.
Byz Greek: Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν οὐ κρίνεται· ὁ δὲ μὴ πιστεύων ἤδη κέκριται, ὅτι μὴ πεπίστευκεν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ μονογενοῦς υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ.
Comments: Not too bad, but it makes κέκριται, "is judged" (perfect passive) into "lives under condemnation," an unneeded expansion of the meaning. There is nothing wrong with "is judged." Then it adds a word, "beloved," with no warrant.
19 And here is the basis for their judgment: The Light of God has now come into the world, but the hearts of people love their darkness more than the Light, because they want the darkness to conceal their evil.
Byz Greek: Αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ κρίσις, ὅτι τὸ φῶς ἐλήλυθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον, καὶ ἠγάπησαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι μᾶλλον τὸ σκότος ἢ τὸ φῶς· ἦν γὰρ πονηρὰ αὐτῶν τὰ ἔργα.
The Greek does not say anything about a "basis," but only says "This is the judgment." Then, it adds the unneeded words "of God." That's another unneeded phrase. Then, it has "the hearts of people" rather than just "people" (ἄνθρωποι). Why? I don't know. It adds "their" before "darkness," and that's not in the original. It's an interpretation rather than a translation. Then, it really goes off the grid with "they want the darkness to conceal their evil," where a literal rendering is, "for their works/deeds are evil." That's a paraphrase, and not a good one because it adds meaning not in the original.
20 So the wicked hate the Light and try to hide from it, for their lives are fully exposed in the Light.
Byz Greek: Πᾶς γὰρ ὁ φαῦλα πράσσων μισεῖ τὸ φῶς, καὶ οὐκ ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸ φῶς, ἵνα μὴ ἐλεγχθῇ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ.
Here the translator has put the emphasis on "the wicked," but the original emphasis is on deeds not character. My literal rendering of the first phrase would be "All those who do worthless deeds hate the light." Then, the translator completely paraphrases with "try to hide from it," which is interpretive, because the original simply says "do not come to the light." This adds a motive which is not in the original. Finally in this verse, the last phrase is somewhat of a paraphrase, but not too bad.
21 But those who love the truth will come out into the Light and welcome its exposure, for the Light will reveal that their fruitful works were produced by God.”
Byz Greek: Ο δὲ ποιῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸ φῶς, ἵνα φανερωθῇ αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔργα, ὅτι ἐν θεῷ ἐστιν εἰργασμένα.
The TPT changes "do the truth" into "love the truth." That's a very different meaning. Then it has "will come (future tense) out into the Light" rather than the clear original "comes (present tense) to the Light." Then it gratuitously adds, "welcome its exposure," which is not in the original, making it periphrastic. Finally, the TPT has "their fruitful works were produced by God," but the original simply says, [their] works are in God--more paraphrasing.
