Understanding symbolism is hardly undermining the authority of God ... on the contrary ... He reveals himself through it.
There are people who claim a lot of things in the Bible are metaphors. But do they claim the resurrection of Jesus to be a metaphor? They don't seem to dare to go this far.
I am sure there are things in God's word which are symbolism. For example, we have that the day of the Lord will come "as a thief in the night" > 1 Thessalonians 5:2. And we know literally that a day in time can not be a thief which is a person!
And words can be symbols with more than one meaning. For example, "love" is a word which has even evil meanings, such as "love of money" (in 1 Timothy 6:10).
And there are scriptures which use "love", but we need for God to have us experience His love so we know what He means. For example, we have "love" used in Romans 5:5 >
"Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:5)
No words with literal interpretation can by themselves have us know what this means. We know the meaning of Romans 5:5 by experiencing this love which is deeper than words.
But I guess we could say there is the literal meaning that we can state in words > how we have God Himself personally sharing His own love with us "in our hearts".
But there can be very literal people who have no clue what it is like to share with God in His own love. But they can demand literal interpretation so they can control people to do what they claim is literal interpretation of God's word. And they can use literal dictating in order to compare themselves outwardly with other groups and criticize them; but this is not wise > 1 Corinthians 10:12.
And in case someone is pushing one's own literal understanding of the Bible, this is against the literal meaning of >
"lean not on your own understanding"
which is in Proverbs 3:5-6.
And, of course, how we are now is not mature enough to understand and to do what God knows His word means. We need how God in us has us doing His word >
"for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13)
Literally here, it is saying how God in us "works" our willing, even. But there are literalists who insist you have a free will and you must get your own self to choose what God wants. They do not believe God will personally speak to you. And they expect you to get yourself to choose and do what God says He desires. But God's word says God is so personal with us, that He in us works us to will and do whatever He pleases.
And so we need, then, to personally submit to Him, all the time so we discover how He does with us all that He means by His word.
And every word is God's in His love for us. Every word does not have only a literal meaning, but His
*love* meaning,
not limited to how we now can understand Him.
God is able to use every part of His word to bring us to find out how to love, in sharing with one another children of God.