Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive

Rosamond Eleanor Herklots (1905–1987) was a gifted 20th-century English poet and hymnwriter whose deeply introspective, emotionally mature texts brought a fresh voice to modern congregational song. Though her professional life was rooted in medical administration, her private passion for verse blossomed into a collection of over 70 hymns. Herklots possessed a unique gift for addressing difficult human realities—such as bitterness, physical disability, and the challenging work of forgiveness—with profound grace and theological clarity.

A Global Upbringing and Medical Career

Born on June 23, 1905, in Mussoorie, North India, Herklots was the daughter of British parents living abroad. She returned to England for her education, eventually studying at Leeds University.

Instead of stepping immediately into the literary world, Herklots built a highly demanding career in medical administration. For many years, she worked in London as the personal secretary to an eminent British neurologist, a role that exposed her daily to the raw realities of human suffering, resilience, and the complexities of the human mind.

Later in her career, she transitioned to the non-profit sector, serving in the London headquarters of the Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (now known as Shine). Her time working alongside individuals and families navigating congenital neurological conditions deeply informed her pastoral worldview, instilling in her poetry a gentle, compassionate sensitivity toward human vulnerability.

A Late but Brilliant Literary Emergence

Though Herklots had written poetry for her own personal enrichment since her childhood, she did not seriously turn her attention to congregational hymnody until late in life. When she did, her impact was immediate.

Many of her compositions were written with children in mind, avoiding dense, archaic language in favor of a clean, imaginative style that young minds could easily grasp. However, it was a deeply mature hymn on relational healing that earned her international renown.

The Story Behind "Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive"

In 1966, Herklots composed her undisputed masterpiece, "Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive." The text was directly inspired by her personal reflections on the difficult petition within the Lord's Prayer: "And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" (Matthew 6:12).

Herklots recognized that human beings often pray these words casually without realizing the terrifying conditional paradox they are invoking. Her hymn serves as a stark, poetic warning against holding onto resentment, suggesting that a heart tightly clenched in bitterness cannot open up to receive God's grace.

The hymn is widely praised for its psychological honesty and structural economy. It uses sharp, visceral imagery—such as a "stony heart" and a "canker in the mind"—to illustrate the destructive nature of harboring grudges:

"Forgive our sins as we forgive,"

you taught us, Lord, to pray;

but you alone can grant us power

to take the words away.

How can your pardon reach our heart

and bless our souls with peace,

while we cherish enmity

and hate refuses to cease?

In blazing light your cross reveals

the truth we dimly scan:

how small are all the wrongs we bear,

how great our debt to man.

Typically paired with robust, somber tunes like DETROIT or ST. ANDREW, the hymn bypassed national boundaries to become an ecumenical classic, finding inclusion in major Anglican, Presbyterian, Lutheran, and Methodist hymnals worldwide.

A Lasting Legacy of Grace

Herklots continued to write until her later years, quietly passing away in 1987 at the age of 82. She never sought fame or public acclaim, yet her professional background in medicine and charity work left a permanent stamp on her poetry. By treating corporate singing as a place for authentic emotional and spiritual truth, she helped modern congregations articulate the difficult, beautiful steps toward healing and reconciliation.