The man Jesus of Nazareth was a literal historical figure. No matter how an individual may feel about Him, He really lived. No qualified historian disputes that.

In his book, Jesus Through the Centuries, Jaroslav Pelikan states:

Regardless of what anyone may personally think or believe about him, Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominant figure in the history of Western Culture for almost twenty centuries.

There has been extra-biblical historical evidence produced about His life in addition to what is contained in the Gospels. His existence as a real man does not depend on believing the Gospels, but believing in historical record.

Mark Allan Powell, author of Introducing the New Testament, has said:

No other person in history or in literature has ever been accorded this much attention; no one else attracts this level or this variety of interest.

The Gospels themselves are among the most well-preserved historical documents in human history. To dismiss them because they are religious in nature would require you to dismiss the majority of historical record, legislation, art, music and even science. Just because it's religious doesn't means it's not also historically accurate. The two are not mutually exclusive.

The life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth have been so influential that almost every other major religion recognizes the man Jesus as a prophet or teacher. There is no other religious figure that is revered by so many other belief systems.

Good leaders have been inspired by Jesus while bad leaders have tried to manipulate others in His name.

People from every century and every continent have become His disciples because His teachings transcend time and culture.

Hospitals, schools, orphanages, etc. have been established as a result of His teaching.

In my opinion, anyone that is intellectually honest has to give a fair inspection into the man Jesus. Regardless of religious affiliation, Jesus is the most influential man in the history of the world. Jesus is a historical figure that we all must come to our own conclusions on.

If we conclude that He was/is God, then everything about our lives must be re-calibrated to reflect that conclusion.