Passage
Behold, what loue the Father hath giuen to vs, that we should be called the sonnes of God: for this cause this world knoweth you not, because it knoweth not him.
1 John 3:1 (GNV)
Nearby Context
1 John 3:1 Behold, what loue the Father hath giuen to vs, that we should be called the sonnes of God: for this cause this world knoweth you not, because it knoweth not him.
1 John 3:2 Dearely beloued, nowe are we the sonnes of God, but yet it is not made manifest what we shall be: and we know that when he shalbe made manifest, we shalbe like him: for we shall see him as he is.
1 John 3:3 And euery man that hath this hope in him, purgeth himselfe, euen as he is pure.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "called", "world", "behold", "loue", "father", "hath", "giuen", and "should". 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 "Dearely beloued nowe are we the sonnes...", 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.