Passage
Knowing, beloued brethren, that ye are elect of God.
1 Thessalonians 1:4 (GNV)
Nearby Context
1 Thessalonians 1:2 We giue God thankes alwayes for you all, making mention of you in our prayers
1 Thessalonians 1:3 Without ceasing, remembring your effectuall faith, and diligent loue, and the patience of your hope in our Lord Iesus Christ, in the sight of God euen our Father,
1 Thessalonians 1:4 Knowing, beloued brethren, that ye are elect of God.
1 Thessalonians 1:5 For our Gospell was not vnto you in worde only, but also in power, and in the holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as ye know after what maner we were among you for your sakes.
1 Thessalonians 1:6 And ye became followers of vs, and of the Lord, and receiued the worde in much affliction, with ioy of the holy Ghost,
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "knowing", "beloued", "brethren", and "elect". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "knowing" and "beloued", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Without ceasing remembring your effectuall faith and..." into verse 5's "For our Gospell was not vnto you...", so "knowing" and "beloued" belong inside that flow. In 1 Thessalonians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "knowing" and "beloued" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.