John Calvin Commentary 1 Corinthians 15:34

"Awake to soberness righteously, and sin not; for some have no knowledge of God: I speak [this] to move you to shame." — 1 Corinthians 15:34 (ASV)

Awake righteously. Since he saw that the Corinthians were, in a way, intoxicated through excessive carelessness, he rouses them from their lethargy. By adding, however, the adverb righteously, he indicates in what way he wanted them to wake up. For they were sufficiently attentive and clear-sighted regarding their own affairs; indeed, there can be no doubt that they congratulated themselves on their keenness. But meanwhile, they were drowsy where they most of all should have been on watch. So he says, awake righteously: that is, “Direct your mind and aim to things that are good and holy.”

He then adds the reason: For some, he says, among you are in ignorance of God. This needed to be stated; otherwise, they might have thought that the warning was unnecessary, for they regarded themselves as remarkably wise. Now he convicts them of ignorance of God, so they might know that the main thing was lacking in them. This is a useful warning to those who use all their agility in flying through the air, while meanwhile they do not see what is before their feet, and are dull where they most of all ought to have been clear-sighted.

To your shame. Just as fathers, when correcting their children for their faults, put them to shame, so that by this shame they might cover their shame. When, however, he declared previously that he did not wish to shame them (1 Corinthians 4:14), his meaning was that he did not wish to publicly disgrace them by exposing their faults in a spirit of hostility and hatred. Meanwhile, however, it was beneficial for them to be sharply corrected, as they were still indulging themselves in sins of such magnitude. Now Paul, in rebuking them for ignorance of God, strips them entirely of all honor.