Does the NIV really diminish the deity of Christ?

One of the most polarising issues in the Church today is the KJV Only controversy. Some Christians argue that the KJV is the only translation appropriate for use by Christians, with some people even going as far as to say that if you do not have a King James Bible, you do not have a Bible.

The NIV is the most hated version for people who think this way, and they often call it the "Not Inspired Version". This claim, in my eyes, is irresponsible at best. Regardless of our personal preferences, a translation of the word of God is just that: A translation of the word of God. This means that as far as a translation is accurate, the translation is inspired, just as the originals. One could argue that translation errors are not inspired, but by this reasoning, the KJV is also not inspired, as it also contains translation errors.

But we're not here to attack the KJV. Quite the opposite, I encourage anyone who prefers the KJV to use the KJV. Rather, I would like to respond to a common argument KJVOs use to attack other versions. It is claimed that other translations seek to remove specific doctrines by neutralising the language. A favourite example is the Deity of Christ. KJVOs like to point to certain verses in the KJV where the Deity of Christ is clearly presented, whereas in other translations, it is less obvious. For example, they may point to John 9:35, where "Son of God" in the KJV is rendered "Son of Man" in the NIV (this in spite of the fact that Daniel 7:13-14 clearly shows "Son of Man", a title used even in the KJV to describe Jesus, is a clearly divine title).

However, there are several counter examples wherein other translations, including the NIV, appear to be more firmly in favour of the Deity of Christ. Take, for example, Titus 2:13. In the NIV, we are told of the glory of "our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ". This clearly refers to only one person, showing that Jesus Christ is God. However, in the KJV, we read "the Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (emphasis added). No one educated in the scriptures could possibly claim that Jesus is not God, but in Titus 2:13, specifically, the so-called "Not Inspired Version" is more clearly in favour of the Deity of Christ than the KJV.

Now, does this make the NIV superior to the KJV? Not at all. At best, it means that the case for the Deity of Christ will have to be slightly altered depending on the translation being used. And if you use multiple translations, you have the best possible case you can have in English. Regarding the KJV and NIV specifically, both versions clearly present the Deity of Christ, to the extent where one must practice eisegesis in order to reject it. A faithful Christian seeking only to learn what the word of God teaches will come away from the KJV with the exact same set of beliefs as if they read the NIV. It is ironic that the only real doctrinal dispute between KJVOs and users of other translations is the KJVO controversy itself. Let us therefore heed the words of our Great God and Saviour through His Apostles: Let us all speak the same thing, avoid division, and not think beyond what is written (1 Corinthians 1:10; 4:6).