“It does not follow from God’s omnipotence that He has the power to become less that He is, or the power to lie, etc. Neither is it allowable to conclude, on the other hand, that God’s power is a limited one because He is unable to do what men do, namely, to lie, or to sin in any way; … Wycliffe regards it as the act of a mistaken imagination when men suppose that God is able to bring into existence an infinite world for Himself; he puts in the place of an alleged unlimited and boundless power the idea of a power conditioned and unlimited by no other power, the greatest positive power of all. In other words, he conceives of the Divine omnipotence as a power self-determining, morally regulated, ordered by inner laws.” (John Wycliffe and his English Precursors, by Prof Lechler, 1878)
I found this analysis so helpful. I have frequently heard and quoted, that God is omnipotent. Numerous scriptures are brought in support of this concept. However, it seems unsatisfactory, when we then have to qualify the same concept; Can God sin? Can God save the unsaveable? Wycliffe’s wording makes a lot of sense, in providing the proper ‘restrictions’ upon God’s omnipotence, ie: His self-determining power; His moral regulation; His inner character.