And there is figurative language later in Romans! In more than one place. For instance in Romans 12.

“Therefore
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him.
If he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.””
Rom. 12:20 WEB.

So Rom 12:20 says that if you do this (present tense), then it “will” have (future, and so also it is in Greek) the effect of heaping coals of fire on his head.

Is this literal? Is that soft coal or hard coal? Bituminous? High sulfur? Low Sulfur? Oh NO! Is this [shudder-r-r-r!] figurative? And it is future! It is a prophecy. It means God “will” (future) avenge you!

If you believe this prophecy, you will in “the present” obey this command.

If you don’t believe this prophecy (and many, perhaps most, even in the Lord, don’t) then you will not obey this command in the present, because you are not sure you can trust God to avenge you, therefore you need to avenge yourself.

Also there is figurative language about the second coming in Romans 13. When most people say, “Oh that is figurative,” they often really mean, it has no real meaning we can discern, and should be ignored.

“The night is far gone, and the day is near. Let’s therefore throw off the works of darkness, and let’s put on the armor of light.”
Rom. 13:12 WEB.

Should I now reject Romans 13 for teaching? This is a prophecy and uses [shudder-r-r-r!] figurative language of the future!

You might say, I reject this! It is so imprecise! Well, yes, in a way it is. It does not tell us “exactly” what “at hand” means!

Throw this verse out for figurative language and being in men’s terms “imprecise”? Only at your own risk.

Can we misuse this verse? Absolutely! Peter says of the apostle Paul,

“as also in all of his letters, speaking in them of these things. In those are some things hard to be understood, which the ignorant and unsettled twist, as they also do to the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.” 2Pe 3:16 WEB.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: ” 2Tim 3:16 KJV

So Scripture is not a cafeteria where you can choose to avoid parts of the Word of God just because you think someone misunderstood this one time. Throw this out? At your own risk.

If you call some man a pig, that is indeed symbolic language, figurative language. But it not without meaning.

Is it imprecise in some ways? Yes. But it is not without meaning.

KJV is the King James Version, 1611.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901