What does Romans 6:9 mean?

Paul reveals an essential truth about Christ's physical death on the cross, as well as His resurrection from death by God's power. Christ's death was a one-time occurrence. It can never happen again. God defeated death when Christ left behind the grave, and it can never drag Him back again. Paul wrote in the previous chapter that Adam's sin introduced sin and death into the world. In truth, death reigned over all who came from Adam. It had dominion, or authority, over humanity. Every person had to submit to it eventually.

Christ, too, submitted to death on the cross, but once He was resurrected, death no longer had any power over Him. The resurrection set Christ free from the authority of death. In the same way, we who are "dead" to sin through faith in Christ are no longer forced to submit to sin. Further, this separation from the power of sin is permanent; death can never again reign over the life of a believer. This does not mean we are incapable of sin (1 John 1:9–10), but it does mean we are never obligated to it (1 Corinthians 10:13), and those who have been saved will not live in incessant sin (Galatians 5:19–24; 1 John 3:6–9).