In the Bible it's pretty clear that God loves the world. Jesus says in Matthew 5:45b, "For he [God] makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." God doesn't without his goodness from people who don't love him. He causes the sun to shine both on the godly and the ungodly. In Exodus 10:21-23, we see that God covered the Egyptians in darkness during the ninth plague, but for the Israelites, they continued to have sunlight. We can therefore see that God can be selective in his generous provision but because he loves everyone, he sends light on all and he gives rain to all. He lovingly upholds creation for all people.
And in John 3:16, the Bible could not be more clear about how God loves all the world: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." God loved the world so much, he was willing to let his Son take on the punishment for sin. And that punishment was the death penalty. That's how much God loves the world.
And yet we see something interesting in epistles like Romans. In the letter to the church in Rome, Paul writes, "To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints..." (Romans 1:7a) Is Paul addressing his letter to everyone in Rome? If he were, he would simply say, "To all in Rome." But he didn't say that. Paul was very specific in his greeting: to those who are loved by God. The King James version says, "To all that be in Rome, beloved of God..." Paul is addressing the beloved of God who also happen to be his saints. Beloved is such a special form of address. And it's referring to the saints in Rome, i.e., the church. In other words, Paul is addressing the church only--they are the beloved of God. They (and by extension, all the worldwide church) are loved by God with an extra-special love. And it's understandable that God would love the people who love him in a greater, more intimate way.
Does God love some more than others? Definitely, yes. And we who are trusting in him and believing in him, enjoy his love all the more and receive a greater portion of it. And that makes us treasure him all the more. "To all those in [the world] who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
