The writers of the New Testament wrote what they meant and meant what they wrote. Spiritualizing what they wrote takes away the meaning they intended.
We understand that there are no seven headed dragons with ten horns. That is symbolic and has a hidden meaning. However, too often churches spiritualize a passage because it does not make sense with their theology. They need to consider that their theology might be incorrect.
For example, if your preacher tells you that the phrase “twelve tribes” in James 1:1 means the church, tell him James knew the word for church as he used the word church later in James 5:14. If that is what he meant he could have written church, but he wrote twelve tribes.
James 2:21 says “Was not Abraham our father…”
James mentioned Abraham in a physical setting and intended the mention to have a physical understanding. James was written to all twelve tribes. James was written to those of Israel who were “scattered abroad”, IsraelitesĀ of the Assyrian dispersion who were residents in foreign nations.