BiblicalInsights.net

Does God love everyone the same?  This question deserves some serious thought.  Is there any difference in God’s love for the world (John 3:16) and His love for His people (John 14:21-24)?  In John 3:16 and Rom. 5:8-9, the Scriptures teach God’s love for sinners.  But, God’s love for sinners does not save sinners if they do not love God and believe on His Son, Jesus Christ.
God’s Love For the World                                                                                                                                           God’s love for the world is manifested in that He:  (1) Sends the sunshine and the rain on the just and the unjust (Matt. 5:44-49).  (2) Sent Jesus into the world to die for the redemption of mankind (John 3:16).  Both reveal the general and unconditional aspect of God’s love.  God’s love is God seeking the highest good of each person by providing the essential things necessary to sustain physical life (creation) and to save man from the consequences of sin (redemption).  Just because God loves people in the world and has demonstrated His love in sending His Son to die in their behalf to obtain the means of atonement, does not mean that people love Him back.  Many do not love God.  Many do not believe in God nor heed His commandments.  In John 3:16, unbelievers will perish (eternal destruction, Matt. 25:46) even though God loved them, they will face His wrath.
God’s Love for His Children
God’s special love for His children is conditional.  Consider the words of Jesus in John 14:21-23, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?  Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.”
God loves those that love His Son, “he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father.”
We love Jesus by keeping His commandments (become His disciples or in other words a New Testament Christian).
Obedience to Jesus wins God’s love.
God fellowships those that love Him and His Son, Jesus Christ.  Notice, the world is not in fellowship with God because of unbelief.  Unbelief and disobedience are connected.  Lovelessness and disobedience are connected.  God does not fellowship unbelievers or the disobedient.
God has a special love, a covenantal love, for His people.  This is God’s lovingkindness toward those who love and obey His Son.
God is Father spiritually only to those in covenant relationship with Him.  Gal. 3:26-27; I John 3:1-2.  “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:26-27).
God’s promises and spiritual blessings belong to His people (Rom. 8:29; Eph. 1:3).  All spiritual blessings are in Christ and so, outside of Christ there are no spiritual blessings and no hope of eternal life (Rom. 6:23; Mark 16:16).
Summary
Those who love God win God’s special love (covenantal love).  Those who love Jesus Christ win God’s special love.  Those who are obedient to Christ win God’s special love.  God loves His people with a special love that He does not love the world with.  Consequently, God loves the world in a different way and in a different sense than He loves His children.  God is in intimate fellowship with His people whereas He is not in fellowship with the wicked of this world.