Then I read 1 Timothy 1:8-10, and a thought came to me that might make this issue about The Law more clear, and how The Law is relevant to Christians.  I believe this is a critically important aspect of Christianity today.

Since my brain is geared this way, I had to put the thought down in a graphical form; refer to the graph below.

The graph shows that there are basically two directions that a person can go:  1) the sinful human nature causes a person to move to the right toward greater SIN, whereas   2) increasing faith in God, which requires positive effort, is our goal.   These two are at a right angle with each other.

The crux of this graphical model is that there is a definite path from sin to faithfulness, and each person is at some point on this path.  On the graph, this path is represented by the "curve."  In mathematics this curve is called a hyperbola; the characteristic of a hyperbola is that at each "tail" of the curve, it approaches the adjacent axis, but never reaches the axis, except at infinity (the curve is said to be asymptotic).

The other aspect to the graph is that the X-axis (the line itself) represents Satan, so as a person becomes more sinful (following the path to the right), the person is ever increasingly closer to Satan.  The Y-axis (the line itself) represents Jesus Christ (God), so as a person's faith is increased, the person moves closer to God through relationship with Jesus Christ.

The sinful human nature puts a person on the path (the curve) near the right side where SIN is significant, and the level of faith is very low.  Note that without any external forces, natural tendencies (in the analogy, it would be gravity) cause a person to slide down to the right (more sinful, and closer to Satan).

In the Judeo-Christian belief, the objective is to control the sinful human nature (to become less sinful).  The Law of Moses was given to the Hebrews so that the ancients, as well as us today, have the rules for life to minimize SIN.  In the graph, The Law is like a pulling force, that can only pull to the left, away from SIN.  Notice that if a person moves along the path to the left (under the pull of the The Law), the person's level of faith increases, but the farther to the left a person is on the path, the less effect The Law has in "pulling" the person to God.  The Law is pulling left, but the path becomes ever-increasingly an "up-hill" pull, and The Law by itself doesn't pull a person up the hill.

Once The Law has pulled the person enough out of SIN, then The Gospel is there to pull the person upward in faith, and as the graph shows, as a person moves upward in faith, the person moves closer to God.

Conclusion:  The Law is essential in pulling a person away from SIN, but only The Gospel can pull a person up in faith, and every closer to God. Without The Law, a person is stuck in SIN, and The Gospel is not in the position to pull the person up to God when the person is stuck in SIN.
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Footnote:

Regardless of the God-given guidance of The Law, God, through His infinite power and wisdom, and for His own purpose, predilection, and pleasure may override the model entirely, and save a person irrespective of that person's adherence or disregard of the Biblical commands.

Thus, we must always remember that just because a person is horribly sinful, we humans have no idea what God will do with the person's soul.  Of course, this is not to say that we don't judge a person's behavior, with respect to the Bible; rather, we just can't judge his/her soul.

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At this point in my Bible study, it appears to me that this model is consistent with the Bible, and in my mind, it helps in understanding how Jesus can emphasize the strict nature of The Law in the Sermon on the Mount, and yet other places speak of The Law in other ways.

I believe that the Bible is without conflict or inconsistency, once we understand the Bible to its fullest meaning.  In my mind, the above model removes one more contended conflict or "supposed" inconsistency.