Willem van 't Spijker was born and grew up in Zwolle in a simple family characterized by sincere piety.
Van 't Spijker graduated from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in 1970 with a dissertation titled "The offices of Martin Bucer".
After working as a minister at Drogeham and Utrecht, he became a professor at the Theological University of Apeldoorn of the Christian Reformed Churches.
He was appointed Knight of the Order of the Dutch Lion; he received this distinction in particular because of his many publications in the field of ecclesiastical and scientific studies.
[4] He also received an honorary doctorate in theology from the University of Christian Higher Education in Potchefstroom.