Noordzij — Numerology
Cees and Anneke Noordzij identify in the baptismal event a core structure of three phases, in which the number 3 embodies biblical completeness and transformation. This threefold baptism—water, Spirit, incorporation into Christ—forms not merely a ritual sequence but a numerological pattern of spiritual maturation.
The three baptisms as numerological framework
Water baptism begins the process; Spirit-baptism confirms it; baptism into Christ completes it. These three phases represent extensive spiritual development, with “three” symbolizing biblical completeness (as in Father-Son-Spirit or spirit-soul-body).
The text explicitly establishes that three is not arbitrary but marks fullness in biblical thinking. This parallels various trinitarian structures: the three persons of the Godhead (Father-Son-Spirit) and the threefold human nature (spirit-soul-body). This parallel between theological and anthropological threefoldness suggests that the three baptisms follow a universal pattern of transformation.
Water baptism: first phase of the number three
The first baptism—with water—marks the beginning of the threefold process. John the Baptist declares:
I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matthew 3:11).
These opening words position water baptism as the first element in a sequence. The numerological meaning of one—as beginning and foundation—lies embedded in this introduction. Water baptism is the entry moment of the threefold transformative process.
Spirit baptism and fire: second phase
The second baptism, carried out by the exalted Lord, adds the element of fire (cleansing and power). This stage of the three moves beyond symbolic washing toward actual transformation.
Second, baptism by God’s Spirit and “fire” (purification) is carried out by the exalted Lord, who grants His power for ongoing transformation from “old” to “new” (Acts 1:8, 2 Corinthians 3:18).
The number two—in traditional numerology the number of division and duality—is here resolved in the working of Spirit and fire. The transformation from old to new embodies the numerological motif of transition or passage.
Baptism into Christ: completion by the number three
The third baptism completes and integrates the preceding two. Paul writes:
For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body (1 Corinthians 12:13).
This integrative moment forms the numerological completion. Baptism into Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit brings, according to Noordzij:
A transformative process toward spiritual maturity and God’s sonship, bringing the mortification of the “old self” and resurrection to “new life” (Romans 6:3-5).
The number three marks here total regeneration and incorporation into Christ’s body—not as three separate acts, but as one efficacious process unfolding in three phases.
The number three as biblical completeness symbol
Noordzij grounds the numerological choice for three in deeper biblical pattern:
These three phases represent extensive spiritual development, with “three” symbolizing biblical completeness (as in Father-Son-Spirit or spirit-soul-body).
This explicitly stated parallel—between dogmatic trinitarian doctrine and trichotomistic anthropology—proves that the threefold baptism is no arbitrary ordering. It touches fundamental biblical structures. The three baptisms thus mirror the threefold godhead and the threefold composition of humankind.
Conclusion: transformation in three times
The threefold baptism forms according to Noordzij:
A foundation for growth toward spiritual maturity and God’s sonship (Hebrews 6:1-2, Ephesians 4:15).
Numerologically speaking, the number three speaks here of the completeness of transformation: not superficial change, but inward reformation in all three dimensions of human existence (spirit-soul-body) and in faith-relation to all three persons of the Godhead. The emphasis shifts from the ritual of water baptism toward the efficacious working of the Holy Spirit, who shapes believers into the image of Christ in a three-phase process of maturation.