The Law - what is it for?

Today in my devotional reading of 1 Timothy 1 I read these verses:

8Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, 11in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

Now remember, Paul has just finished telling Timothy to warn the people off of false teachings: myths, false doctrines and genealogies. These verses follow right after.

Here Paul explains what the law is good for. The law is not there for the law-abiding, it's there for the lawless and disobedient. It is there for whatever and whoever does not live in accordance to sound doctrine, for those who don't live the way God wants them to.

All the law really does is show where we are not living in accordance with God.
Hear what Barnes (e-sword) has to say:

But we know that the law is good - We admit this; it is that which we all concede. This declaration is evidently made by the apostle to guard against the supposition that he was an enemy of the law. Doubtless this charge would be brought against him, or against anyone who maintained the sentiments which he had just expressed. By speaking thus of what those teachers regarded as so important in the law, it would be natural for them to declare that he was an enemy of the law itself, and would be glad to see all its claims abrogated. Paul says that he designs no such thing. He admitted that the law was good. He was never disposed for one moment to call it in question. He only asked that it should be rightly understood and properly explained.

We need to understand what the law is for, if we don't, then we risk being like the people he talked about :

desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions (v.7)

Those who teach the law MUST show what it is really for. Those that keep the law, understand what love is. Keeping the law shows love....keeping the law means we don't hurt our fellow man. Keeping the law means we are striving to be like God. God made the law, it shows a lot of who he is. :)

Let me then make right use of the law. To show me where I am not loving my fellow man or God in the manner that I aught. :)