1 John 3:1 (DBY)

Passage

See what love the Father has given to us, that we should be called [the] children of God. For this reason the world knows us not, because it knew him not.

Nearby Context

1 John 3:1 See what love the Father has given to us, that we should be called [the] children of God. For this reason the world knows us not, because it knew him not.

1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we children of God, and what we shall be has not yet been manifested; we know that if it is manifested we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

1 John 3:3 And every one that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as *he* is pure.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "world", "love", "father", "given", "should", "children", and "reason". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "world", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "Beloved now are we children of God...", so "called" and "world" should be read forward into that movement. In 1 John context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "called" and "world" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.