Travis Montgomery serves as Assistant Dean of Global Campus and Assistant Professor of Christian Studies at Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College. He has been active in serving Southern Baptist churches and is one of the pastors of Northside Fellowship, a church plant in the Kansas City Northland. He earned both his M.Div. and his Ph.D. in Biblical Theology from Midwestern Seminary, and his dissertation considered the Bible’s use of the “covenant formula” (“I will be your God, and you will be My people”) and how it relates to Christ and the Church. Dr. Montgomery is currently co-writing an introduction to Christian spirituality through the lens of the seven classic virtues.
MBTS: How did you come to pursue the field of biblical theology in Christian studies?
Travis Montgomery: I have been fascinated by the interconnectivity of Scripture since I was first reading Scripture as a kid. The Lord blessed me with parents who took me to a church that sought to faithfully explain the Bible in each sermon, and one day my parents agreed to let me buy a cool “teen study Bible.” As I read the New Testament and the study notes, I was especially interested in the way Paul would refer to and argue from the Old Testament. That stuck with me.
When it came time to choose a college and a major, I chose religion. The Lord quickly redirected me away from a school that undermined Scripture’s truthfulness and to a small Bible college where I was immersed in commentaries and exegetical studies. When the Lord eventually called me to seminary and then to a Ph.D., I wanted to keep myself close to the text, study its interconnectivity, and learn more about how Scripture and theology relate. Midwestern’s Ph.D. in Biblical Theology was designed perfectly for what I wanted to study.
MBTS: How can understanding biblical theology help Christians grow in Christ as they read Scripture?
Travis: I love this question! Growing in Christ is God’s plan for us (Rom. 8:29), and Scripture is His school (2 Tim. 3:14–16). All creation is about Jesus (Col. 1:16), so all Scripture is about Jesus (Luke 24:44–47). Biblical theology, if it’s really following the Bible’s lead, will focus on the being and acts of the triune God, which are focused on the person and work of Christ (Eph. 1:9–10). By beholding Jesus, by the Spirit, in the Scriptures, with the Church, we grow into Christ’s glorious image, degree by degree (2 Cor. 3:18).
So how can Bible readers make sure they’re seeing Christ when they read the Word? The first hurdle for many of us is to actually read the Word. Without seeking God’s help in prayer, reading the Bible often feels like “line upon line, precept upon precept” without any delight (see Isa. 28:13). Second, we need the help of Jesus and the N.T. writers to make sense of the O.T. (1 Pet. 1:10–12), including the ways the O.T. stories, laws, and poems do and do not apply to us (1 Cor. 10:11). Third, we need to have our imaginations captivated by Scripture, so that we can pick up on the many ways the biblical authors refer to one another. Finally, we ought to seek out the help of capable teachers (in our churches, seminaries, and more broadly) and reliable tools (like reference Bibles, study software, biblical-theological books, and original-language study).
MBTS: What are some ways that the biblical spiritual disciplines help cultivate virtue?
Travis: Though definitions of spiritual disciplines differ, it’s clear that Scripture calls Christians both to see God’s good gifts and to dwell on the invisible Giver (James 1:17). It’s also clear that dwelling on the unseen does not come naturally to us as we stumble toward heaven in this fallen world (2 Cor. 4:18). A “spiritual discipline,” then, is a practice of focused attention on the invisible God (1 Tim. 1:17) by strategically denying ourselves His good gifts for some time. This definition obviously fits fasting, but it also fits many other biblical practices. For example, private prayers and devotional reading of Scripture deny us earthly company and input so that we can attend to the presence of God and His written voice.
Christians throughout the centuries have talked about “virtue” as the growth and putting-right of a soul. Who we are determines what we do, just like a good tree produces good fruit (Matt. 7:18). For the believer, we are “good trees” because we have been grafted into (Rom. 11:17–18) the One hung on a tree for us (Gal. 3:13–14), and He is the Righteous One, like a fruitful and stable tree planted by streams of water (Ps. 1:3). Meditating on God’s Word (Ps. 1:2) and tending to God’s presence in prayer (Heb. 4:16) cultivate virtues by reorienting us to God’s presence, power, and promises, empowering us to live in light of what He has revealed (1 Pet. 4:11).
MBTS: How does the Global Campus help online students cultivate spiritual growth alongside their education?
Travis: Our Global Campus students connect online, but they are embodied precisely where God has placed them, and they are studying to better serve the people He has given them. Fortunately, distance does not prevent us from communicating with one another, and communication always leads to formation; we can’t help but be shaped by the things we hear and say. Though a quality education will not always have an immediate payoff, it should always move us to love God and our neighbors. In that way, an education itself is a way to cultivate spiritual growth.
God has ordained the local church to be the primary instrument of our spiritual growth (Eph. 4:11–12). So, Global Campus students take classes that are carefully designed to communicate biblical truth with excellence and help them gain and apply knowledge in their local churches, families, and other vocations. Many assignments are meant to be deployed in each student’s own ministry context, right now. One of my absolute favorite features of our classes is a connection with a mentor in the student’s local context who can help the student consider how every class applies to their own life and ministry. We honor God’s providential place for each student and strive to help them study where they serve.
