The theological paradox at the center of Unification thought: God is all-powerful yet has been effectively powerless since the Fall.
“We must liberate God. God is confined by love. He may as well be in prison. He has not been set free. Due to the Fall, the ideal world that the all-knowing and almighty God intended to establish based on love was snatched away by Satan. Thus, God could not be liberated in heart.” (CSG 138-261)
Why can God not simply eliminate Satan?
“Why is the all-knowing and almighty God unable to wipe out Satan at one stroke? If He did so, that act would end up extinguishing Adam, Eve and the creation and destroying the ideal sphere of love as well. That is why He is prevented from doing so.” (CSG 208-256)
The principle: God created through love, not force. Because He built the universe on love, He cannot use force without destroying the creation He loves. The Fall placed all humanity (and all creation) in a state where they are, by lineage, entangled with Satan. To eliminate Satan by force would be to destroy everything connected to him — which is everyone.
God is like a president who cannot simply beheading demonstrators — even if the demonstrators are wrong, there are constitutional limits on power, and violating those limits would destroy the office itself.
“The absolute Lord has the responsibility to absolutely fulfill what He said He would do. Despite Satan’s fickleness, attacks and tenacious persecution, the Lord God has endured throughout history in order to recover His established principles.” (CSG 208-256)
The only path out
Since force is unavailable, restoration must work through love. Humans must establish the conditions — through indemnity, through faith, through filial piety — that give God the foundation from which to act without violating His own law. This is the logic behind why central figures matter, why conditions must be met, and why faith history is such a slow, painful struggle.