You are making a pre-conceived statement without actually reading the passage properly. No, it does not speak only to love among believers. Did you miss vs 9? John 3:16 explains He loved the world. Unbelievers included. Are you trying to push Calvinism? Calvinism teachers that John 3:16 speaks only to His love for believers.
You have cherry picked a passage that you missread, to espouse an almost heretical view. Now to prove cherry picking I give you Matt 5:44
Love your enemies.
1 John 4: 9
In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
What I said brother is the scripture quoted is part of 1 John 4: 7-21 so we look at all this not just one verse so as to read in the right context.
Vs 7 & 11 both start with the words 'beloved'. John is talking here to Saved believers. So we should consider what is said in that context.
1 John 4:7-21 (NKJV)
7
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son
to be the propitiation for our sins.
11
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.
13
By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son
as Savior of the world.
15
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
16
And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. [
Brethren]
God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
17
Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. [Brethren]
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
19 We love Him because He first loved us.
20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God
must love his brother also.
No I didn't miss verse 9.
9 In this the love of God was manifested
toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world,
that we might live through Him.
Now you take - In this the love of God was manifested, God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, I can understand your thoughts regarding the Love of God, who as we know gave His One and Only Son to die for us, that we might be saved. Hence the reason you go to the Gospel in miniture John3:16, which we should include more but for the minute I will include John3:16-17
John 3:16-17 (NKJV)
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him
might be saved.
No I am not a Calvinist, let scripture speak.
Notice both scriptures, Jesus died that we 'might be saved'. Not will be saved, might be saved. Not all will be saved.
Now there is a definite difference between the two scripture's quoted. 1 John is directed to believers, John 3:16-17 is to all, but again we should read the full section to avoid missing the point and avoid reading out of context. I don't quote this section without including all 21 verses, there is so much to miss.
John 3:1-21 (NKJV)
1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."
3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"
5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"
10 Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?
11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven,
that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him
might be saved.
18 H
e who believes in Him is not condemned;
but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
Now what I see here is very important. The first 7 verses says WE MUST BE BORN AGAIN, then Jesus explains this.
Next we have John 3:16 so often quoted on it's own but should always be quoted John 3:16-17 minimum.
Then we have the part that is missed. If we focus vs 16 on God's Love, which is so important we all agree, we miss the full message.
We must read the verses through to v21...
There is a condemnation for those who do not accept Christ as their Saviour. We are told the reason and the condemnation brother.
I shared recently about a lovely retired vicar I chatted two after coming through to the Lord, I would only be around two years old then. He was a nice gentle, caring man, warm looking face, but he would only accept God is Love, it is so dangerous, I feel, so cherry pick verses, to not read full sections of scripture, we and up reading out of context and only reading the bits we like to read.
Summing up brother.
1 John 4:1-21 - John is talking to believers
John 3:1-21 - the message is for all, but we must read it all.
Yes, God so loved the world, He had created, that He gave His One and Only Son, to die the cruellest death ever invented, so they we might have eternal life through Him.
But the message is 'might', 'should not' providing we are 'born again'.
If we are not born again, we will not be saved, because
he who does not believe is condemned already
We must ready all scripture in the context of that which is written for us.
Bless you.
this or that. I 
