The Greek verb dogmatizo (G1379) means to submit to or impose dogmas — decrees, regulations, or ordinances. Its single New Testament appearance is in Colossians 2:20, where Paul challenges believers who submit to human regulations as if still under the elemental spirits of the world.
Dogmatizo represents a specific temptation in the Colossian church: substituting external religious rules and ascetic practices for life in Christ. Paul's argument is simple but radical — if you died with Christ to the elemental spirits of this world, why do you submit to their regulations? The word warns against any system that adds requirements to the gospel, whether legalism, asceticism, or religious performance.